Silence
by Krik Wetham
Summary: During his heart attack, instead of falling back, he falls forward and notices a dull pain. this one event, has a very different outcome that will affect not only his behavior, but his story as well.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Accident

This starts right after Iwanako shows up. It will be pretty much word for word except for a few comments I myself would've thought. Never been a big fan of huge ANs so let's get started.

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><p>"Iwanako, I got a note telling me to wait here… It was yours?" I said. Dammit. I spent all afternoon trying to come up with a good line and that was the result. Pathetic.<p>

"Ahmm… yes. I asked a friend give you that note… I'm so glad you got it." She says softly, as if she were to speak to loud, the area around would break. A shy, joyous smile that makes me so tense I couldn't make a single muscle even if I tried. My heart is pounding now, as if it were trying to bust out from my chest and claim this girl for itself.

"So… ah… here we are. Out in the cold." I say. The wind once again stirs up the branches. The cacophonous noise is music to my ears. Iwanako flinches slightly against the wind. Why is she wearing a skirt again? As it passes, she rights herself, as if supported by some new confidence. Her eyes lock with mine and she lazily twirls her long, dark hair around her fingers. All the while the anxious beating of my heart grows louder. Well, this is awkward.

My throat is tight; I doubt I could even force a word out if I tried. "You see…" Iwanako began slowly. My heart beats loudly throughout my body. "…I wanted to know…" she continues just as slow as before. My heart beat speeds up as she continues with her soft words. "…If you'd go out with me…" I stand there motionlessly, save for my pounding heart.

I want to say something in reply, but my vocal cords feel like they've been stretched beyond their breaking point. "… Hisao?" Iwanako says in a worried voice. I reach up to massage my throat, but this only sends spikes of blinding pain throughout my arm. "Hisao?!" She says, frightened. I don't know if it's because of my painful face, or if it's because she's not getting a response. My whole body freezes, save for my eyes, which shoot open in terror. My heart beats erratically, until eventually, it stops. "HISAO!" Iwanako screams. I feel weak at the knees, and I collapse forward into the snow there's a new, dull pain in my throat as the world slowly turns black.

The canopy of bare branches, the dull winter sky, Iwanako running towards me, all of them, gone within a couple of seconds. The only thing I remember was the sound of Iwanako screaming for help and the incessant sound of the clattering branches above…

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><p>It's been four months since my heart attack. In that whole time I could count the amount of times that I've been outside this hospital room unsupervised on one hand. Four months is a pretty long time when you're left to your own thoughts, so I had plenty of time to come to terms with my situation.<p>

Arrhythmia. A strange word. An alien one. One you don't want to be in the same room with. A rare condition that causes the heart to act erratically and occasionally beat way too fast. It can be fatal. Apparently I've had it for a long time. They said it was a miracle that I lasted so long without an incident.

They also found that I fell onto a stone that pierced my throat, right through my vocal cords. They told me that when I went into surgery, they tried to repair the damage done to it. They've been teaching me sign language. That tells me how that went. The bandages around my throat seems like a collar more than cloth meant to keep scars from opening.

All in all, life sucks so far.

My parents, I think, were hit harder by the news than I was. They practically had two hemorrhages a piece. I already had a full day to digest everything. To them it was all fresh. They were ready to sell the house for a cure to arrhythmia.

Of course, there isn't one.

Because of the late discovery of the… condition, and the extremely bad case of sore throat, I've had to stay in the hospital, to recuperate from the treatments. When I was first admitted I felt as if I was missed… for about a week, my room in the ward was filled with flowers, balloons, and cards. But soon the visitors and get-well gifts dwindled into nothing. I realized that the only reason I had gotten so many cards and flowers was because sending me their sympathy was turned into a class project.

Maybe some people were genuinely concerned but I doubt it. Even in the beginning, I barely had visitors. By the end of the first month, only my parents visited.

Iwanako was the last to stop coming.

After six weeks, I never saw her again. She never had much to talk about when she came anyways. She never spoke about that snowy day.

The hospital? Not much of a place to live. The doctors and nurses weren't the nicest people in the world. I didn't even get a sponge bath. I can't blame them though, they had so many patients in one day, many of which didn't survive the next day, to them, I was just another person, waiting to die or be released.

For the first month I asked the head cardiologist every time I saw him when I'd be able to leave, well not asked but, you know what I mean. He'd never give a straight answer. So I idly observed the scars that the numerous surgeries had left. Every time I look at them, they seem to change. Every once in a while, I asked the Cardiologist when I'd leave but I never had my hopes up high.

I stopped watching TV.

And I couldn't read either. Whenever I went to the "Library" and picked something to read, I couldn't make it past the first few sentences. They just weren't interesting. So I instead started to read textbooks. Might as well. I also developed a taste for coffee. But the coffee in the hospital was too weak, either too watery, or not enough flavor.

I need to get back on track.

So without entertainment, I stared blankly at the ceiling, weeks went by without me noticing. Sometimes I start to feel like I may cry. But that never happens. So instead I just go to sleep.

Today the doctor came in with a bright smile. He seems excited, but not very. He may be excited that he's kept another patient alive through their days in a hospital. Or he's trying to make me happy. Either one works. My parents are both in the room, it's been a couple of days since I last saw them. The doctor must've got them here. Must be big. There's this ritual the doctor has, he shuffles his papers and straightens them. Strange. It's also very annoying. Then he sits next to my bed and looks me in the eyes.

"Hello Hisao." He says with the smile slightly faltering when I just stare at him. Then it comes back when I smile a bit and nod. "I believe you can go home now, with some precautions you should be fine. We have all your medications sorted out. I'll give your father the prescription." The doctor quickly hands the sheet over to my father, whose eyes slightly pops out. "So many…" I take it slowly from his hand as not to frighten him. Wow… The words flow through my head as I try hopelessly to memorize the list.

"I'm afraid this is the best we can do at the moment. But there are new medications coming out every day, I wouldn't be surprised to see that list shorten throughout the years." Years. Huh, that actually kinda comforted me for a minute, but then reality hits again. "Also, I've spoken to your parent s about transferring you to a new school." My eyes widen in shock, but they slowly return to normal as logic regains its grasp. A new school huh? I smile slightly, when I realize I can make something good out of this. "Well, you're not too bothered about this, right Hisao?" my mother ask, unsure. I nod slightly.

"Well, that's great! I knew you'd be fine with it!" My dad boast ever so slightly. my mother replies, "Weren't you the one in the car who was worried he was going to hate you?" with a slightly mocking tone. "Honey, we weren't going to talk about that…." My father whines. I smile at my parents antics.

"Yes well, you'll be going to a school that has a proper nursing staff, and proper education. The schools name is Yamaku Academy. It specializes in dealing with students with all sorts of disabilities" the doctor says, trying to get the attention on him again. "the majority of students live on campus. Think of as a boarding school with a hospital nearby. It gives students independence, while having help nearby." This school really does sound like it would be… alright I guess. " We went out there and had a look around, it looks really nice." My dad says.

"Well, you should be excited to be going back to school again. I remember that you wanted to go to school again, and while it's not the same one…" the doctor says, suddenly becoming unsure. I nod slightly, as if to give him reassurance. Anything to get out of this damn hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

These gates are very… Misleading. You'd expect these gates to lead to a mansion or a very big house. As I walk through the gates, the first thing I notice is everything is very… green. The grass, the leaves on the tree, the bushes lining the path to the school. The school itself was a lot bigger than I expected it to be. It was made out of red brick and painted wood, of which was painted white. As I entered a tall, lanky man that was slouched ever so lightly called me over. As I looked him over, he had a dark brown Trench coat, a Navy blue button-up shirt, black tie, and grey pants held up by a brown belt. All in all, very boring.

"Mr. Na… Ni… Niki?" He stumbles out. I glare at him a bit and pull out the schedule given to me.

"Ah, Nakai. Sorry 'bout that." He says, looking at least a little bit flustered. "I'm Mutuo and I will be your homeroom and science teacher. The head nurse asked for a quick check up, but there's no time for that. So do you want to introduce yourself to the class or…" He trails off as I glare at him again. Realization hits him. "Oh! That's right, you're mute…" He starts to blush a little and rubs the back of his neck, and says "Let's just get to class." I nod and follow him through the hallway to class 3-3. He opens the door and walks in, with me following quickly behind him.

As I look around at my new class mates I notices a girl with dark blue hair signing something to the girl next to her, [… the guy who walked in has potential. We should ask him soon.]… Ask me what? Mutuo starts introducing me. "Please welcome your newest classmate." He claps his hand and so does everyone else, except for a girl in the front row with only one hand. There is a thick, malleable silence in the air that no one wants to break. Mutuo starts mumbling and the only thing intelligible is "… He's mute…" and the whole class manages to hear that, because they start whispering to each other.

Except for the Blue haired girl and the pink haired girl next to her. Instead, they sign something that I don't pay attention too. Mutuo asks me to write my name on the black board, and I do so. After I'm done Mutuo drones on about something, and I let my gaze wonder to the blue haired girl again, which is when I notice the pink haired signing the exact same thing the teacher is saying to her. So she's deaf.

Mutuo talks to me again, saying "We're going to be doing group work today, so you'll have a chance to talk to people, ok?" I nod lightly. "That's good, you can work with Hakamichi. She's the class representative. She can explain everything to you." I nod…. Who's Hakamichi? The teacher starts handing out the assignments and when he's done, sees me still standing there and realizes his mistake. "Sorry, Hakamichi is the Blue haired one over there. Shizune Hakamichi" I nod once again as the pink haired girl waves at me. I sit down at the desk at sign, [Hi, I'm Hisao Nakai and you must be Hakamichi.]

The girls look at me in shock before the pink one starts laughing "[Bwahahaha! That's right! I'm Misha! Shizune's translator to other people. I'm like an interpreter~!]" Shizune butts in as well [And you're right. I'm Shizune Hakamichi] I nod once, and then sign [so what were you going to ask me?] Shizune raises an eyebrow and ask innocently [What do you mean?] I sign back [I saw you signing back when I walked in, something about 'the guy that walked in has potential, we should ask him soon' seem familiar?] I smirk as she stares at me for a second before she smirks back. [Well I was right, you do have potential, now we should get to work] she signs back.

I was dumb-founded at how she blatantly avoided my question as Misha starts her boisterous laughing again. "[Anyways~! Since you're a new student, we're going to show you around alright, Hicchan?]" Hicchan? ... Not again… Misha picks up on my depression and looks worried "[Hicchan, are you ok? You look a little down]" I shake my head as I sign [I'm fine.] Shizune starts signing [You're right, he does look like a Hicchan] Misha starts giggling "[Yeah he looks just like one.]" Shizune taps my desk and signs [I'm the class rep, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.] I nod once, signifying I understood. [Do you like school so far? We can show you around so you can familiarize yourself with the school grounds.]

I nod once again, this time signing [From what I've seen, it looks great. And I would like it if we could look around after-school.] Shizune nods and signs, [As long as nothing comes up, we should be able to do it.] Suddenly Misha says"[Hicchan, you shouldn't be so formal, just call her Shicchan~!]" As soon as Misha said that we both started blushing. "[Ahaha~! Okay, maybe that's too casual, let's just go with Shizune]" [Yes that's fine] Shizune signs out. [That would be easier for me as well.] I manage to sign out. "[Bwahahaha~!]" [We have to get started on the assignment, remember!?] Shizune signs out to us, looking a little upset that we, as well as herself, forgot about it. Me and Misha nod our heads and got to work. Looks like only reading textbooks is helping.

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><p>As we finish up our assignments, I notice that we have a good ten minutes left in class. I spend that time doing what I do best: staring at the ceiling. What can I say? Old habits die hard. When I look back the two girls look a little upset. "[What's wrong Hicchan? Are you bored?]" Misha says, doing her best kicked puppy face. I then look at Shizune and she's also looks rather hurt [Are you not happy that you're in the company of two pretty girls?]… Well when you put it like that, I may need to get rid of that habit. [No, no you two are fine I'm just thinking of what to do after school's out.] I say hurriedly. As soon as I finish, the bell rings.<p>

We get up and head down to the bottom floor, and into the cafeteria. "[It's the cafeteria~!]" Misha exclaims brightly. We get a few stares from other people. I quickly glance over the menu, most of it special diets for the students. We quickly order our food, and sit down and start eating, me a little slower and tearing the food into small pieces. As I start chewing and when I'm ready to swallow, I hold my nose closed and swallow… it seems to work. I do the same with my drink. The girls look curious, and misha ask "[Why do you eat like that Hicchan?]" I look at them, and sign [It's part of the reason I'm here, I don't have vocal folds anymore, just some plastic.] The girls look like they understand, but Shizune looks bothered about something.

[What do you mean part of the reason?] She signs curiously. I stare at her blankly. Should I tell them? Ehh why the hell not. [I have a special heart condition. It's called Arrhythmia. It's were my heart has the tendency to start beating erratically. Thus, I cannot be hit to hard in the chest, or do anything t strenuous or I might have a heart attack.] The girls looked shocked at this. Shizune, in an effort to change the subject, signed [do you have any questions you wanted to ask us about the school.] hmm, I wonder, [Nope I can't think of anything at the moment.] "[That means we've been good guides right?]" Misha asks me. [Ehh, if you say so.] I reply after a moment. They beam brightly after I sign that. I shake my head and smile at them. They sign back and forth, but I don't pay attention, thinking it was a private conversation. I just eat my food as quickly as I can. Which is pretty slow. But I digress, as soon as I finish, we head up to the classroom again, and notice it's empty.

Well, kinda. There is a girl with dark purple hair and scars on her face and right hand. But the ever elegant Misha comes in with the force of a rhino, she shrinks into her seat a bit more. She seems really tense. She may be shy. Really shy. The girls walk right by, not really noticing her. So I just sit with them and keep quiet. As students and, eventually, the teacher walks in, I find myself wondering how different this is from a regular school.

And it's not, really.

The "school's over" bell rings and Shizune turns to me and signs [Sorry, Hisao, but we can't show you around today. We've got work to do. You'll find your way around here I'm sure.] I sign quickly [can you show me where the nurse's office is real quick? I was told to go there after the day is done.] Shizune thinks it over and says, [Sure, we have enough time for that.]

They walk towards the outside of the school, and lead me to a separate building, which is much smaller, mind you. Shizune starts signing, [This is the Auxiliary building, where most of Yamaku's staff can be found. It even has a swimming pool in it!] … A swimming pool? ... I'm guessing its medical stuff. [The medical staff is all there, so that's where you need to head.] She finishes. [Thanks, I'll be able to take it from here. See you two tomorrow] I sign back. We wave each other off and I head into the building and quickly find the Head Nurse's room. I knock on the door and I hear a voice. I assume it's telling me to come in. As I head in, I notice a man smiling brightly. He has bright blue hair and is in the usual doctor get-up. The table he's working at is neat and tidy, but the bin was overflowing with used medical utensils, and coffee mugs. Another man who shares my love for coffee. "Hello, what can I do for you?" I just kind of look at him. He's young and rugged looking, but the dimples he has wash away that impression. When he doesn't get a reply he looks at me a bit closer and realization hits him. "Ah, you're the boy who was coming today." He stretches out his hands. I shake his hands and notice it's rather strong and friendly. "I was just reading your file this morning. Some sort of chronic Arrhythmia and related congenital heart muscle deficiency, right?" He says. I nod once and he continues.

"You also had a shredded vocal fold, which was later replaced with plastic so you wouldn't get an infection. That makes your case a little difficult." He says, frowning slightly. He starts going on about the nursing staff at the school and I just nodded whenever it was needed. "Now just let me get your file real quick." He shuffles around to the filing cabinet and searches for the file. When he finds it he says, "So you already have your medication for your arrhythmia, just remember to take your pills every morning and evening. Apart from that do you do any sports? Anything rash like boxing?" I shake my head in denial, the joke completely missing me. "Well, any type of concussion could prove fatal, so be wary of that. But you still need exercise, but your throat will cause problems, so I suggest long distance walks and such. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you do it. Just don't over-exert yourself." He wags his fingers in emphasis.

"Absolutely no unnecessary risks. Take care of yourself." I nod, and he goes over his notes again, and says "Good. That's it then. Come to me if you ever need anything." I nod and exit the room. As I exit the building, I breathe in the afternoon air and head to the dorms, ignoring the gardens as I walk through them. The dorm is like every other building here. Except there are more floors in it. I pass the common room completely and head up the stairs. As I head to my room I look at the 'nameplates.' 119. I look at room 117, but I am wiped out from the day. So I just head into my room. Bleak beige walls. A small desk made of some type of wood. Beige curtains. Bland bed. Boring. Just Like a certain hospital room. My bags are sitting by the closet, which was filled with my clothes and the new uniform I have to wear tomorrow. A note is pinned to one of the sleeves. It says:

Hi Hicchan. I've unpacked everything and made your bed they said if the uniforms don't fit, you should head to the office and swap them with new ones. If you have any problems, call us. Love, Mom and Dad.

Thanks.

I set the note onto the desktop and got undressed and into the covers of my bed. I stare at the pills on my nightstand and pick up the note. Swallow 13 pills to not die as fast. It doesn't actually say that, but I feel like it should. I mean, it's the truth. I follow the instructions and take the medication. I set my alarm clock for 5:00 in the morning and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

I wake up to the annoying ringing of my alarm clock. I slowly get up and turn it off. It says 5:05. I stare at it blankly for a while until it turns to 5:06. I get up and put on some sweatpants and a T-shirt and look out the window. It's still dark. I put on some sneakers and head out the door.

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><p>As I walk out the dorm, I notice a girl on two prosthetic legs running towards the track. I didn't think anyone else would be stupid enough to go out this early. I start walking through the garden and observing the flowers and such. Eventually, I reach the main path, the one leading to the school. There are also several paths branching out this way and that and such. I take the path leading right, and is closest to the school. I mentally map out how the grounds look and such, and eventually I'm at the front of the school again.<p>

I walk the same route over and over again as part of the regular exercise the nurse wanted me to do. As I finish, I slowly make my way back to my room. The moment I enter I look at the clock. 6:27. I have to be in class by 7:30. I quickly take my medicine and then take my uniform out of my closet. It's a white button up shirt, and the standard Black tie. Green pants, too. I take the clothing with me to the showers.

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><p>As I finish my shower I hear the door open. I put a towel on quickly and head out to greet the person. When I go out, I see a bespectacled boy completely nude. No towel or anything… It's quite small too. Like, a leaf could cover it up. Anyways, he looks at me and says "Who are you? … You were sent to spy on me weren't you?! Don't look at me! I know martial arts!" … What? This guys a nut job! "You're an assassin! I KNOW YOU ARE!" he screams at me. He then runs off and I hear a door slam… That was pleasant.<p>

I quickly put on my clothes and head to my room for my supplies. The clock reads 7:15. I head to my classes, ignoring my surroundings.

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><p>All throughout the class I've had a question burning in my mind. So I decided to ask Shizune about it when we split into groups. [Hey Shizune, is there any clubs that I can partake in?] I ask her. She replies [Of course. Everyone is encouraged to join a club, a lot of people do because there isn't much to do. There is also the school festival coming up. Most of the students are busy with it, doing whatever… You transferred at a busy time, maybe you can help out as well.] I reply [Sure. What's the festival about?] She thinks for a moment. She says, [Who cares?] And smiles brightly. I can't help but to smile as well. Misha finally realizes we're having a conversation. [Humans evolve every new generation. It's only natural that the meaning of the festivals going to change] and Misha butts in with, "[Now it's about delicious fried food and amusing little games to win prizes~! Hahaha~!]" The teacher clears his throat and shoots a pointed gaze towards us. He whips his meter stick against his hand like a baton.<p>

Misha realizes we're still in class and stifles a yelp. She seems scared. [We are in class and should start working.] Shizune signs with anger at herself and us from being distracted. "[That's right Shicchan~! … What? That's right~! Hicchan, are you asking because you're interested in joining a club?]" …Uh-oh. From the look on Shizune's face, I'm going to get dragged into something. I nod [yeah, I was thinking about it.] the girls share a suspicious glance. I look around the room a bit, to let them have their privacy. As I do this, I noticed the burned girl get up and leave the room. The teacher doesn't spare this a second glance, so she must do this often.

"[Hicchan, is something wrong?]" I look at the girls again and shake my head [No, I'm fine.] Shizune gets a playful look on her face. [You don't have any plans for lunch do you?] She asks me. I shake my head once again. [Do you want to have lunch together then?] She ask [Sure.] Shizune's smile becomes more genuine and Misha starts celebrating.

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><p>The rest of the class passes uneventfully. Before I can have any thoughts the teacher says it's time to stop working. We were able to finish our work quickly, even with the interruption before. But we still barely scraped through. [It's not like it's a completion or anything.] Shizune looks annoyed. "[Yes it is Hicchan~!]" [Impossible] "[Really?]" [Really] I confirm. [It's not a competition because they have prizes at the end. If there is no prize on the line, then it's not really a contest.] Shizune's eyes flash with a competitive glare. She stares at me like I'm a mouse who challenged a lion. She's got really pretty eyes. The competitive glare only strengthens that statement. [Are you sure Hisao?] She signs. [Very sure.] [You're wrong Hisao. Because, I don't want to be the slowest one in the class. Therefore, what I have on the line is my confidence in my skills, and the prize is the satisfaction of proving them.] "[Wahahaha~!]"<p>

Shizune pushes her glasses onto the bridge of her nose in a very matter-of-fact way. I wanted to argue a bit more, but the bell rings and she picks up her bag and looks at me expectantly. I pick up bags as well and smile at her. [Where do you want to eat?] Shizune signs. [Cafeteria I guess] she nods and we head down. As we get our lunch, Misha says "[so Hicchan, you wanted to know about clubs right?]" I nod. Shizune changes postures, as if she's practiced this as a speech. [Hisao, do you have anything you're really interested in?] I shake my head [I used to play a lot of soccer but because of my condition I had to stop. I was never really into it though. I also used to read, but I stopped with that as well.]

[So this means you don't have any particular club in mind?] I shake my head once again. [Well, other than clubs and the festivals coming up, there is one thing that comes to mind… Student Council!] … Not what I was expecting. Shizune starts blushing, suddenly very embarrassed by what she just signed, and Misha's just laughing. Shizune quickly takes control again [Hisao, you should join the Student Council, they could use more people.] this makes me curious. [Why?] "[Well, for one we could hang out every day, Hicchan~! Shicchan and I are both in the Student Council. Actually, Shicchan is the President.]" Hmm, this sounds interesting, I may think about joining. But let's give them a bit of a chase first. [You'll have to let me think about this, but I'm not too sure…] [But the student Council shows a healthy interest in the inner workings of one's school, besides do you not want to spend time with us?] … I don't care if their trying to swindle me into my death warrant, they look pretty damn cute. [Well…] Shizune capitalizes on this and says [Well, it's settled, then. Welcome to the Student Council, Hisao!] [Wait, What? I didn't say that!] "[Aww, see Shicchan? I knew it wouldn't be that easy.]" [It would be boring if it went smoothly]

"[Oh Well, you owe me candy now~!]" Misha says excitedly. [You were betting on it? ... I expect half that candy] I sign to Misha, to which she replies "W-what? Um… [Only if you join the Student Council! Bwahahaha~!]" Shizune's eyes suddenly light up. [Hey Hisao, let's play a game! How about Rich Man Poor Man? If you lose you have to join the Council [No.] Why not? [You two would be playing for the same goal]….yep [it would be bringing me to a disadvantage.] Hisao! I'm very offended! Are you saying you don't trust us and that we would pull something so disingenuous? That makes me sad…]

… God damn it she's pulling the kicked puppy look. That look quickly changes to anger [In order to atone for hurting a young girls feelings, you should definitely join the Student Council. [No.]] "[How bout we play paper football instead of Rich Man Poor Man?]" [What's that?] "[It's an American game~! You fold a piece of paper into a triangle and try to shoot it past goalpost made by the other player's fingers! Isn't it cool? It's the ultimate form of competition between two people, Hicchan~!]" [And it's also played by elementary and middle school children Misha.] Shizune says, looking slightly upset she would bring that up. "[It is? Then it really separates the boys from the men!]" [Or the boys from the slightly older boys.] I reply. [I'm not going to play that either. Just because you know what it is probably means you're really good at it.] "[…Yep~!]" Shizune looks angry now. [You weren't supposed to tell him that!] "[Ehehe…Sorry Shicchan…]" Shizune starts breathing and cools down a bit.

[How bout Risk?] She asks me [Ehh, why not.] and then Shizune looks really gleeful…. I forgot to say that I won't join the student council didn't I?... Well, I guess I should win. [Alright, we'll play afterschool then, Hisao!] I finish my lunch and head back to class.

* * *

><p>After school, the girls quickly find me in the 1st floor lobby, and flank me. I can't question it since they have my hands held down. After a short walk, we enter the Council room. There are many tables and chairs set up, but there's nobody in it. The girls let go of me and to get the game while I sit at one of the desk. I look around the bland room and notice the numerous filing cabinets filled with old school records. That's pretty much it, really. When I look back the girls already have the game set up. Well this is it. The moment of truth. I think Shizune's starting to rub off on me, I'm feeling really competitive.<p>

Halfway into the game, I ponder how to set up my defense against Shizune's assault. She's been fairly aggressive the whole game. I may not win this. Tell my family I love them. I'm interrupted by Shizune drumming her fingers against the table. I look up at her as she starts signing [You're taking too long to move. Hurry up.] Well that puts me on the spot. Should I push past her forces, or set up a defense?

Screw it, you can't win if you don't try. As I push forward, Shizune's eyes light up with child-like mischief. The game continues for a couple of more turns, with me steadily regaining troops, and sending them to die against Shizune. Shizune decided play time was over and obliterated me.

Well, I guess I'm a part of the student council now.

Shizune adjust her glasses in victory, smiling gleefully. Well, it wasn't that bad of a loss, I guess. Shizune grabs my attention and says [I was surprised when you attacked North America and Iceland at the same time. It was a daring move.] [Thanks, but I guess the empire was absolute with their ways, huh?] I reply. Shizune smiles and signs, [or maybe the rebels didn't really mind?] I smile as well [Maybe.] I look over at Misha, who looks really uncomfortable. "Umm…" Shizune looks at her as well. She smiles and says [I couldn't of done it without you Misha!] Misha suddenly looks relieved that she wasn't forgotten. "[So does this mean Hicchan's a new member?]" They both look at me as I smile. [I guess it does.] They both smile brightly and Misha starts celebrating

[Anyways, I have to get to bed early, so can I go now?] Shizune nods. I wave good-bye and head to my dorm. When I reach my dorm I perform my usual before bed activities and wrap myself into the blankets. It doesn't take long for sleep to claim me.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm sorry for doing this to Kenji, but for the story to progress (and change), this needs to happen.

* * *

><p>I wake up at five in the morning again. I basically do the same thing as I did yesterday, with a few changes. While I was on my walk, I noticed a tall blonde girl walking through the gardens. She looks really at peace, I should probably *Crack* leave… "Hello, Is someone there?" she says. I wave when she looks at me. "Um, Hello?" … Oh, she's blind. Well this is awkward. I slowly walk towards her and grab her arm lightly. She flinches slightly, but she stays where she is. She has a confident look on her face.<p>

I quickly let go and knock a tree. She looks at the tree confused. But then realization hits her. "Oh. _Oh. _You're mute aren't you?" I knock the tree again. "Oh, well, I'm sorry, but I've got something to do." She quickly left the gardens and left me. I shrug and continue my walk.

When I got back to my room and headed to the showers, the bespectacled boy shows up again. Still nude. I quickly get dressed and leave, to prevent a repeat of yesterday. But he grabs my arm while I'm leaving and says quickly "Listen man, you shouldn't go out this early anymore. The girl with the crazy legs comes out every morning looking for prey! She always makes this squeaking sound, which means her super-weapons are charging up!" he says before grabbing me and screams "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!" He starts shaking me before he accidentally hits my neck. That's when I stop him. I flick him off before heading to my room. I check the clo-… why does my throat tickle? I dab my throat with my finger before looking at the finger. There's blood on it. The clock says 6:36. I grab my throat before heading down to the nurse's office.

* * *

><p>I knock sharply on the nurse's door before he says "Come in" I don't hesitate and walk in. He turns around with the huge smile on his face, before he starts frowning and his eyes widened. He must-of noticed the blood dripping from my throat. "Lay down" he says commandingly. This is a huge change from the normally smiling man. None the less, I comply quickly. "Let go of your throat" he says once again. He pulls out a first aid kit while saying "It's not too deep, so we don't need to take you to the hospital. We just need to clean and stitch…" It went like this for several minutes before he was applying bandages. "There we go. Crisis adverted" he says jokingly, his smile returning before disappearing again.<p>

"How did this happen?" he ask me before handing me a pen and pad. I then proceed to write down the story which he then reads. "Hmm, we have had problems with Kenji before, but nothing serious. Mostly just insulting comments toward the female members of the school. I may have to give a Psychological quiz to him, see if there's something with him." I nod and he says "I would suggest keeping bandages on, so that something like this doesn't happen." I nod once again. "You should go to class now. Be careful." He says before smiling at me.

* * *

><p>He quickly ushers me out before slamming the door shut. I head back to my dorm and grab my stuff. I look at 117 and feel a slight sense of guilt. But I keep moving. I soon reach the class. 7:28. Just in time. I quickly say hi to Shizune and Misha, who look at me worriedly. I quickly get to work, to get it done so I could tell the girls what happened. It's just reading and two questions anyways.<p>

After all three of us had finished, we held a private conversation in sign. Misha starts off with her blunt [What happened to your throat?] I reply with the story. I didn't pin the blame on him directly, because I know it wasn't his fault, but Shizune still looks pissed. Before she starts ranting Misha interrupts with [He has always been a bit, well, you know, crazy. Especially after his first year here. I wonder what happened.] I speak up with [He was always going on and on about Feminists that would take over the world whenever I heard him speak.] Shizune thinks and says [Maybe he had a bad fight with his girlfriend. Anyways, where are we going for lunch?] Along with that the arguing of Misha and Shizune quickly fills up the room. The Dumass Tacos? Is that even real? I let my eyes wonder over to the girl with scars. She seems to be studying, with the occasional glance over towards Misha, who is now speaking very loudly.

Best to not distract her.

As the lunch bell rings the girls quickly come up with an answer. "[We're going to town!]" They say and sign together. What did I miss? [Don't worry Hisao, it's not far.] I nod and gather my stuff and head with them to the door. As soon as I step out something hits me in the chest with force of a runaway train. Shit. I open my eyes briefly to see two bright green eyes staring back. She has two prosthetic legs. Shizune helps me up with worry in her eyes. The girl before us says "Ahh, I'm sorry! Are you alright?" I look at her blankly, letting my heart settle down. I nod once. Shizune seeing that I'm fine starts signing furiously. Her hands look like a blur. Even Misha can't translate that. I sign something to the girl, which Misha quickly translates "[Maybe it's better if you don't hear that. Anyways the general gist of it is don't run in the halls.]" Shizune looks at me quickly, disbelieving the fact that I just brushed off that I nearly died so easily.

"Ah right! Are you ok? Should I get a nurse? You blanked off for a second there." [No, I'm fine] "[He says he's fine.]" Shizune looks at us still with a shocked look on her face. But she regains control quickly and looks at the girl [Emi! You should know better! Running in the hallways is strictly prohibited!] Misha regains posture as well and says the same thing, but with a small frown instead of her usual big smile. Emi sees this as well and gets a scared look in her eyes.

"Igottagodosomething!" she says quickly and runs off. She has very good instincts, because the look in Shizune's eyes is really scary. Shizune huffs loudly. She quickly spins onto me, while her gaze softens a bit, still has a steel edge to it [Why didn't you say anything?] I look at her in the eyes and say [Because I'm fine. A bit roughed up, but fine.] She replies with [But didn't you say that impacts to the chest could be fatal?] I smile and say [Potentially fatal.] She glares and says [That doesn't change anything! You could've died!] Misha seems to have left, probably wants to let us have our alone time to sort this out.

I grab her hands and silence her. She looks at me, with a glare at first, but softens until I notice she starts tearing up in the corner of her eyes. I give her a hug. She seems surprised at first but quickly returns it. The smell of her shampoo fills my nose. Lavender. She quickly learns the reason behind the hug. She listen to my heart beat for a while. She gives a tight squeeze before letting go. I let go of her as well and I smile at her. She smiles back.

[You calm now?] She nods and I sign [lets go, Misha's waiting for us.] she quickly looks around and nods. We head down the stairs and towards Misha. Misha quickly notices and smiles widely "[Let's go~!]"

* * *

><p>We quickly come to a tea shop called 'The Shanghai'. Interesting name. I don't bother asking as we head and see a woman standing there. "Welcome! Thank you for patronizing this establishment!" The front half of her body drops quickly like an axe. "[Hey Yuu-chan! How's the library?]" So this is the librarian. She looks a bit fidgety. "I-it's doing fine. Should I g-get your usual's?" Misha nods and then "[Hicchan, what would you like?]" [Do they have Coffee?] "[Do they have coffee?]" Misha thinks about this and ask Yuuko real quick. "Y-yes, we do." She says in her timid voice. Then I nod and she takes that as an order. She quickly heads to the back and we seat ourselves. I quickly look at the girls and notice that the sun's hitting them just right, making them look all the more attractive. That, along with the slightly tight shirts their wearing.<p>

Shizune's glasses are slightly hanging off her nose a little lower than normal, and she's staring right at me…

As Yuuko returns with our drinks, Shizune says [To Hisao living another day!] quickly picking up her drink and swallowing it all. Misha does her "Bwahahaha~!" and I deadpan. Shizune smiles slightly. I turn to my coffee and start drinking in my usual fashion. Shizune goes into her 'business' mode. [We have to start working on the festival.] Misha and I both nod and Shizune says [We have to get started tomorrow, or we won't finish in time, even with Hisao in the Student Council. I will talk to you as soon as I have it planned.] We both nod. [We should head back to school, it started about, 10 minutes ago.] I say, looking at my watch. [We can be a little late, that's one of the advantages to being in the Student Council.] Shizune says.

Which reminds of another thought. [How many people are in the student council? You never told me.] "[That's because you never asked, Hicchan~!]" Misha said loudly, looking a bit nervous. [You didn't answer my question.] Shizune and Misha look at each other, before Shizune nods slightly [It's only the two of us...] That shocks me a bit. I didn't think that it would be just them. I nod once and say [okay] and take a sandwich from the tray in front of us. That shocks them. And then Shizune smiles. And Misha remembers her parfait. When did she get that again? As the three of us finish eating, [Now it's 30 minutes late] I say as we sit there. Shizune glares at me. Misha calls over Yuuko and says that we want a refill.

I shake my head at them. By the time we leave, I've not only missed one class, but two. These two are going to kill me. Then they take me on a tour through the town. It's pretty small, but I like it.

* * *

><p>When we do get back to class, the day goes on as usual. Well, except when class got it. Shizune and Misha leave the class without me, they must have planned on getting more work done in the Student Council. Before I could wonder about it some more, I notice I'm the only one left in the class. As I go to the front door, an arm stops me quickly on the shoulder. I look and see Shizune and wave. She smiles and waves too, before a pair of hands wrap around my face, before a sharp laughter rings out. I can't really do anything, so I just go along with it. [It couldn't possibly be, hmm, Misha could it?] Misha laughs and swings around in front of me. [Hisao, are you busy right now?] I shake my head say, [Not, really no]. "[Could you go into the art room and get a couple of things for us?]" I nod and say [Sure.]<p>

I head up the stairs and to the art room, and upon entering, I noticed an auburn haired girl in the male uniform. And she's eating with her feet. And she doesn't have arms. We stare at each other for a while. Her green eyes staring at brown. "Hello." She says. That snaps me out of it and I just nod. I head over to what I assume is the supply cabinet. She doesn't really say anything after that. Which is fine with me. As soon as I grab the stuff I head into the hallway, the supplies are surprisingly heavy. I start to slowly head down the stairs, thankfully there are no students in the hallway. When I reach the second floor, I see Shizune heading up before seeing me. She smiles at the awkward way I hold the supplies in both my hands, and I smile back.

As we head down, I see a blue haired man smiling, and waiting. When we reach him he looks at me and says "Hisao, what a happy coincidence! And miss Hakamichi as well!" he nods to Shizune who nods back, but is noticeably annoyed. I set aside the supplies and decide that I could sign for her, in place of Misha who must be at the student council room. "There is something I forgot to mention on Monday." I nod and wait for him. "It's about your medication, since you haven't been on your current medications that long, there could've been an unexpected side effect, which might require adjustment in dosage, or even a switch in medication. So we will do a few tests regularly, but what I want you to do is keep an eye on your condition. Nausea, headache, depression, anything like that." I nod my head solidly. "So how are you? Everything fine?" he asks. I nod and pull out a notebook and write down 'Everything's doing fine' he reads it and says "That's great, and my sources have told me you've been to neither the swimming pool, nor the track, so I'd like to know if you've been doing that." I see Shizune look at me weirdly, I think she thinks I don't do that. I write down 'I've been taking walks around the school several times early in the morning, and if one of your sources is Emi, then I saw her yesterday morning running down to the track.

He nods several times before saying "Alright, well that's all I needed to know, have a good day." I nod and grab the supplies and start heading to the student council room, with Shizune saying [I didn't know you got up early.] I nod, and Shizune nods as well. By that time we got to the Student Council room, and I set the supplies in the corner of the room. [Thanks Hisao, that's all we needed for today. You can go to your room now.] I nod and head out.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank's to the guest reviewer. Sorry i didn't say that before, but i always write 5 chapters at a time.

* * *

><p>After my usual morning, this time without any interruptions I enter class 20 minutes earlier. After waiting a while, I hear tapping coming from the hallway. The door to the room opens, and I see the tall blonde girl again. I see her hesitate a bit and say "Excuse me." I guess that's her way of seeing if anyone's here. I knock loudly on my desk. She flinches but slowly nods, accepting that I'm the only one here.<p>

"Have you seen Hanako by any chance?" she ask me, staring in my direction. It's kind of unnerving. I knock loudly on the desk twice. She nods slowly, but not before Misha burst in with a "Hi~ hi~!" that makes the tall girl flinch. "Hi Hicchan~!" I nod at her. Then Misha looks at the tall blonde, saying "Look, it's the class representative~! Hello~!" The girl nods at her as well. "Good morning." [Of course, you're not the rep. of this class.] Shizune signs slightly haughtily. Misha repeats this out loud. "I'm not." She says back. The girl doesn't seem to know Shizune's here. "[Class rep~! It's good you're here~! We have to talk. The festival is coming up in three days, right? Every other class has already handed in their projected budget reports for this year's event, even the first years~! Except you~!]" "Wahaha~!" the girl looks taken back, "there's still time to turn it in right?" Shizune looks angry, not as angry as yesterday, but still quite angry. "[Today! The deadline is today! You're certainly taking you're time, aren't you? If I had it my way, I'd have all the necessary paperwork done days ago, But someone~! Had to say 'The deadline, please extend it!']" "Yes, that was me. Planning something on this scale is not easy, and a week is a too small time frame to expect a whole class to work out such a complex issue completely."

"[Do you want to know what's even harder than spreading the budget for one class? Doing the same for every class and then some! The one who does that is me!]" Misha puts her hands on her hips and stands straight up. She's really getting into this. They go on like this for a while, and I just watch them go back and forth, until Shizune starts signing furiously and Misha can't read the words any more. Misha starts sweating some before stuttering out the words Shizune is saying. She speeds up and eventually gets into the flow again. Eventually, the blonde girl and Shizune facing each other, lily with a hand on her hip and leaning slightly forward. Shizune with her arms crossed, her hips slightly out a bit and the wind whipping around her ski- is that her panties?

That is so not helping my concentration.

… I kinda missed the rest of the conversation too. But I did here sword sounds, strangely enough. When I look back again to the important things *cough* Misha looks slightly uncomfortable. [Don't you be slacking off either, Hisao!] I look at her, slightly affronted, but I did just stare at her… anyways, I quickly sign back with [What are you talking about?] Misha has been saying everything out loud, too, taking great pleasure along with Lilly, which Misha shouted earlier and I'm assuming that's her name. [Aren't you taking part in the festival too right? You are, aren't you? Then I'm assuming that you'll be doing your part in making sure everything goes smoothly than this person!] [Why am I getting dragged into this again? I'm doing my part. If you're angry with Lilly, then that has nothing to do with me.] Lilly doesn't look to happy at that. "Wait a minute, are you implying that the president is more right in being angry with me than you?" [No, I'm just saying that I hardly think it's fair you can say that, seeing that I've helped you two.] I've pissed off Lilly, so that's a minus. [Are you saying I'm wrong?], and Shizune, too. Great.

[It's too early for this. Yes I think it's unfair of you to get on my case.] Shizune looks a bit shocked at this. [Hisao, you want too much. But, you have a point. Ok, you're not lazy.] "Hahaha~!" Shizune pushes her glasses onto the bridge of her nose, almost approvingly. Almost. [That's good, if you're not useless, you shouldn't let anyone say you are. But the next time I say it, it'll be because you're disappointing me like miss class rep here. So don't let this go to your head!] Almost. Lilly is not looking too pleased right now "[Don't forget that report, Class rep.]"

I dodged a bullet there. With a few sentences with barely hidden venom, Lilly leaves the room. [You went a bit far today Shizune.] "It's true Shicchan. Just a little~." She doesn't respond. Didn't expect her too either. [You should mind your own business. We have a few things to take care of so we may be late to class. Could you cover for us?] I nod and Misha says loudly "Perfect~! Yay~! Okay~! Thanks Hicchan~!" with that they left. Ten minutes later, the bell signaling class rings.

* * *

><p>While I was working, Misha's head pops up over my shoulder. I look at her, set down my pencil and sign [what are you doing?] she quickly replies with "what are you doing, Hicchan~?" [I'm working, unlike a certain someone who just interrupted the whole class.] She starts blushing before pushing it down. "But it's in the book, that's why no one else is coping it down. I nod and sign [I'm bored.] I see Shizune smiling coyly and sign to her [why are you doing this?] "Umm," the teacher keeps glaring at her but just rolls his eyes and looks away. I lean back in my seat.<p>

I review my notes from the class and notice Shizune and Misha are talking to a student from another class. Shizune is signing so fast that it sounds like a sword. That's where that came from. Shizune looks angry. I put my head down, because I do not need a repeat of this morning. When I look up again Misha sits down saying "Uwaahh, I'm so tired!" [Festival preparations must be tough for you.] [Well we're the student council, you know, so we're pretty busy.] [So why haven't you asked me to help you? I am a member as well.] Shizune starts blushing at that. [I completely forgot about that. I'm so used to the current members being the only ones.] [Which is just you two.] Shizune glares at me a bit. We don't even notice as Hanako ask Misha where Lilly is.

"She should be in her class, getting paperwork set-up." She says to Hanako, as we both turn our head to see Hanako walking off. Shizune doesn't seem to care all that much, quickly signing to me [We could your help building the rest of the stalls.] I smile and quickly nod. Shizune smiles as well. [Let's go to the student council room.]

* * *

><p>As I hammer the final nail into the board, I look around the room. Dinner time is over, and we just finished. I picked up my shirt, which I had discarded a while ago due to the heat. Shizune comes by with a level and measuring tape, and inspects it. Quite thoroughly I might add. She smiles, looks at me with a pleased smile but quickly looks away with a blush. [You did a very good job. In fact you might actually have a gift for this.] I smile at her and breathe heavily, the plastic in my throat not helping much. I tug at the bandages around my throat, they were getting all sweaty due to the work. Shizune looks at me once again, before signing [I'll help Misha finish this last one, and finish the last four!] she smiles at me brightly as I frown a small bit, before going back to a neutral face and nodding.<p>

[Isn't this fun?] I shake my head and sign [No, it's painful.] She looks at me with worried eyes. [Your throat isn't causing any problems, is it?] I shake my head again and sign, [yeah, but I can manage it for two more stalls.] She nods hesitantly, before heading over to Misha to get their work done.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, we sit next to each other, Shizune in the middle, looking at six completed stalls. We just stare at them, breathing heavily. That'swhen Misha says "Hisao, your throats rattling." She must have told Shizune, because she's shaking slightly. I blush a bit, but quickly push it down and shake my head. [Do they have a vending machine in the hallway? I'm quite thirsty.] "Yeah, and the drinks are cheap too. That's where we usually go on days like these." I pull out a single yen coin and say [Will this do?] "You can get any drink with that." I nod before Shizune speaks up, [No no, this will be part of my reward.] she quickly ask what I want for a drink and leaves. Misha says "Hey, Shizune wha-" The door slams. "You know, sometimes I think that she's just teasing me." I just nod. Eventually, she returns with two cans of melon soda and fruit juice. She hands me one of the soda's to me, the other to Misha, keeping the juice to herself. "I knew you would get one for me Shizune! Wahahaha~!" I gesture my thanks to Shizune, who smiles and nods. Misha starts talking to Shizune, and while they do that, I notice something. Misha's eyes seem to look over Shizune's body every once in a while, and sometimes she looks over at me with anger, but quickly looks away when she realizes I'm watching. It makes me wonder…<p>

[Hey Hisao,] I quickly look over at Shizune, [Yes?] [Do you want to join us for the festival?] I smile slightly, and nod. Shizune smiles at me and she smiles back. I once again look at Misha and realize that's she's looking at me with anger and… jealousy? Did something happen between these two at one point? I look back at Shizune and smile once again and get up. [I will see you two tomorrow, I need sleep.] They both nod and I walk out. While I walk towards the dorm, I hear footsteps running towards me. I look back and see Shizune running towards me. I give her a confused look and she quickly signs [You saw it too, right?] I look Shizune in the eyes, and say [you mean Misha's hate towards me?] her eyes widen and she seems frozen. Wrong answer? She slowly signs [What do you mean she hates you?] I reply with [Every time she thinks I'm too busy talking to you, she glares at me with anger and jealousy. Do you know what that's about?] Her eyes widen once again. [She couldn't still be angry about that, could she?] She signs to herself more than to me.

[Angry about what?] She looks at me for a while, before she starts spilling her guts out to me. [One time I …] she starts talking about all the bad things she's done to Misha, which, thankfully, isn't much, but one struck me as odd. [She confessed to you?] She nods slowly. I nod my head and say [And how did you solve these problems?] she goes quiet for a while before signing, [I ignored them.] I stare at her with blatant shock. I recover after a while and sigh. [Let's go to my room, this is going to be long.]

* * *

><p>When we reach my room, I quickly close the door and say, [You can't ignore stuff like this.] She glares at me angrily [And why not? It works with everything else.] I glare straight back and say [because she's your best friend.] Shizune's eyes widen once again, [She would do anything for you, because she loves you. You can't just push away emotions like that. It's not healthy to the relationship between you two. Show your gratitude to her more often. Be her friend. She's not just an extension of yourself. She wants to be close to you, but you aren't letting her. Apologize to her tomorrow. I will MAKE you apologize to her. If it helps, I will talk to her first and help her understand what you apologize for, but I won't tell her that you are. The only way you can ma-] I just realize that she started crying when I hear a sob come from her.<p>

[I'm a horrible friend, aren't I?] She ask me. I shake my head and force her to 'listen' to me [you will be a great friend, if you just act like one. You can't just kill emotions by ignoring them. It's better, and healthier, if you just let it happen. Be a little spontaneous.] I smile at her comfortingly. She blushes and says [then let me start now] grabs my collar and kisses me. That… isn't what I meant, but I'm okay with this. My eyes widen at first but slowly close as I get enraptured in the heated kiss. She quickly releases me and stares at me [would you like to be my boyfriend, Hisao?] I look at her in shock and nod. But not before I sign [I was supposed to ask you that.] she blushes and kisses me again. When we finish the passionate kiss, I fight down my blush and say [when you're done apologizing to Misha, we can do this then. But it's best not to do it in front of her for a while. Maybe you can apologize to Lilly too, and many other people as well.] She shakes her head and says [Misha and Lilly I can do, but definitely not others.] I was surprised that we should apologize to Lilly, I expected her say no. [I still have a reputation to keep, after all.] I smile at her and nod. [Let me walk you to your dorm.] I say to her. She nodded and grabbed my hand, as we walked through the door.

* * *

><p>Alright let me give you a little run down of why Shizune is acting like this. She was confused at what Hisao was saying because originally there was going to be a small scene where they look at a meteor shower and Hisao confesses then, but i scrapped that. So instead, I was looking at Misha's wiki page and remember that "Holy shit, she was jealous of Hisao! I completely forgot that!" so, wanting to snip that problem in the bud, and to have a more romantic ending and use the time to show how their relationship develops over the course of the rest of school year.<p>

Shizune always bottles up her feelings, so what i was going for in that last part was her letting go. Finally releasing all the tension she's had over the last three years, she's going to be a bit more, revealing with her emotions. she'll actually talk to Hisao and Misha about her problems, instead of pushing them aside. She's also "talking" to Lilly because she feels regret by letting a position come first instead of cousins.

so expect those two things tommorow.


	6. Chapter 6

I got up at my usual time and decided I would go to the town for exercise instead. When I reach the top of the hill I realize that I'm breathing slightly heavier. I shrug and start exploring the town slightly more. I discover a book shop, a convenience store, a furniture store, and a jewelry store. There's more to the town but I have to get back to the school.

* * *

><p>After I'm done taking a shower I head back to my room and after I get dressed I hear a knock on the door. When I open it, it's Kenji. He says "Thanks man, they're sending me to the mental institute. You just saved me!" I raise an eyebrow. "I mean, what will the feminists do with an insane man? You're a genius!" I nod my head and pat his shoulder. He nods and quickly returns to his room. I stand there dumbfounded for a while. I quickly head to class.<p>

I nod once to Shizune and she nods back. Class continues on as normal. After the school bells ring signifying the end of school, I tap my Misha on the shoulder and sign [Follow me.] She nods slightly confused. We head up to the roof, and when reach the middle, I turn to her and say [Do you have anyone, other than Shizune, that you talk to regularly? And not on student council business.] Misha looks frightened at the sudden question. She doesn't speak in her usual loud tone. "Umm, I usually speak to Hanako and Lilly when Shizune isn't around. But that's it really." [What do you think of Hanako?] Misha smiles. "She's quite cute, even with the scars, and I find her shyness to be really cute as well." [And Lilly?] Misha smile lessens a bit but is still there. "She's a bit too proper and prim, but she's really fun to be around as well." I nod slightly. [Do you know why I'm asking this?] She smiles widely. "You want to hang out with them, and you need me to be a translator." I smile and shake my head. [No. I want to know your relationships with other people.] Misha looks slightly confused at this "Why?"

[I want you to realize something, Shizune isn't the only person in the world. There are people who will gladly be friends and maybe more with you. Take Hanako for example, she admires you. She likes how you can be so proud of something, and be quite loud. She can't do that, she's too shy. If you were to be with her a little more, but don't push her, you might break her of her shyness.] Misha looks at me confused for a second. "Why are you telling me this Hisao?" [Because I want you to have the happiness you never could have with Shizune. I saw you look at me with anger and jealousy last night.] She looks ashamed at that. [It's fine Misha, but me and Shizune both want you to be happy. And if that means losing a little time with you, then so be it.] She looks at me with understanding. "If Shizune and you don't want me to be with you, that's fine, I understand." She starts to walk away before I grab her arm. She looks at me and I sign [That is not what I said. We want you to find happiness, and if we lose time with you, we won't mind, but if you were to leave forever, Shizune would be devastated. She might not show it a lot, but she cares for you. If she were to lose you, she would be completely lost. But if you were with her, but you weren't happy, then she would hate herself for not being able to give you the same things you harbor for her.]

[Think about what I said, because Shizune wants to talk to you as well.] She looks at me for a while before she heads off the roof and down the stairs. I go the nearest wall and sit against it. Holy shit, that was hard. I don't think I will be giving any motivational speeches any time soon.

After a while, i head down to the student council room, and wait outside. Misha walks outside, there was evidence of her crying, but she had a smile on her face. i walk into the room after Misha nods at me, and see Shizune leaning against the desk. i quickly walk over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She also has a smile on her face, but she looks like she's cried too. she looks at me and pulls me into a hug. we hold each other for a while, just enjoying the feeling of the other's body heat. Shizune pulls away and says [Let's get some sleep.]

* * *

><p>I was awaken, by the sound of my alarm. I perform my morning rituals and head out my door, nearly hitting Shizune and Misha. They quickly enter my room, and look around. They look at me and say "Hi Hicchan!" [Hello Hisao.] The two seem happier. Good. Job well done. [Hi. So what are you two doing here?] [Hisao that's rude. We're here to pick you up.] "It's time for student council work~! Aren't you happy, Hicchan, to be able to help the Whole~ school~! You are like, a Hero~! The future generations will tell stories of this day!" I nod. [I shall take this position with honor and complete this deed with the utmost importance] I sign with a face like a soldier readying for war. They both look at me "Bwahahaha~!" Misha laughs loudly and Shizune giggles quietly before looking around my room once again, before settling on the pills on my nightstand. Misha seems drawn to them too. [Are these the medication for your heart condition?] I nod. [Thirteen a day.] I draw them off the subject quickly, not wanting the mood sour. [So you two wanted me to help you out, right?] Shizune nods and Misha starts saying "Okay, But let's play a little game. Shizune has a 1000 yen note in one of her hands. If you guess the right one, you can have it, but if you lose, you have to carry all of our books." I knew this was going to happen and picked a hand.<p>

My back hurts as we reach the student council room. I think they purposely put bricks in their bags. As I look at the room, see a huge pile of paperwork and say [Damn so it really is only us three.] Shizune can't decide whether she's pissed or ashamed, and Misha's laughing. I look at Shizune innocently. [What?]

It turns out the work is just double checking files and sorting them, and we're done in a couple of hours. The lunch bell rings and Shizune signs [Alright, we have a lot of work to do but we can relax for now.] I nod Shizune pulls out the plastic containers. Misha tells me what's in them and I take them and open it and sign [I certainly looks good, where did you get it?] [That isn't important Hisao,] "There was supposed to be a stall selling lunches, but she suddenly pulls out saying she couldn't do it. So Shizune was like, 'what a waste, after I guilted Hisao into building this stall," I look at her affronted. [Hey what the hell?] "So she decided to see if she could do it, but then decided not to. Right Shicchan?" [Shizune sulks angrily and shoots a pointed glare at Misha, but she kept smiling. I smile as well, and sign [Well, I don't see why you decided not to, this is really good.] I point out, as well as waving the empty container in front of their faces. [Did you chew your food, or did you just vacuum it down?] [How motherly to show concern for me, but I've gotten really good at eating despite my disability.] I pull at the bandages around my neck.

She shakes her head and continues eating. The school bell rings and we continue to work. I notice Shizune looking at me in glances and when I met her gaze, she starts blushing and looks away. She looks really cute with a blush. I get back to work which is mostly just stamping important looking documents. "Done!" Misha yells out. I nod and sign [I should be done before this periods over.] Misha shakes her head and says "No, we're done, so that means you're done too." I look at her before signing, [so all this work I just did was meaningless?] Shizune shakes her head [but we've kept you long enough, you should head back to class, you can still make it for most of this period.] [What about you?] [We'll be right behind you, of course.] I know she's lying, but she must have a good reason behind it. I nod and head back to class.

* * *

><p>I wake up the next morning to a loud banging noise at me front door. I must've overslept my clock. I take my pills and head to the door. Without even getting dressed. I open my door and sign [Which one of you knocked?] "That doesn't matter, what are you doing not dressed Hisao? You're making Shizune blush." True to her word I look over at Shizune, with a heavy blush covering her face, but a serious look on her face. "Do you not wake up at eight?" [Not during the weekends, I usually wake up at five. So what are you doing here?] I have a feeling it's- [Would you like to skip class and go somewhere nice?]… Not that. […Sure?] They nod while Shizune says [now get some clothes on] I nod and close the door. A couple of minutes later I come out and say. [Let's go.]<p>

* * *

><p>After i all was said and done, I forgot to check and edit it. So with minor help from fanfiction's spell check, I did so. that thing is dumb as hell. Never doing that again.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

As we head down stairs, Misha says "Remember that tea shop we stopped at on Wednesday?" [Yeah, the Shanghai, or something like that, right?] The girls both nod their heads. [We're going there, I'll even treat today.] I raise an eyebrow, saying [Didn't you treat us last time?] She nods her head [Money isn't a problem with me.] I shrug and say, [I should at least pay for mine.] Shizune gains a playful smirk [You and what money?]… Ouch. That went deep. [Come on, it isn't often we get this much free time.]

We make it their in a 15 minute walk. [Is it always so quiet?] Is it always empty? Probably best not to say that, though. [No, it's usually quite full. But, it's not a bad thing.] We sit at a nearby wooden square, where Shizune says [Do you know what you're ordering, Hisao?] I shrug and say [probably just what I got last time.] I look around the shop for a menu. None in sight. What's up with this place? No customers, no employees, no menus. Do you need a code done in Morse code? Subtle gestures? A sacrifice done in a god's name? [What do they serve here?] Is their tea and coffee laced with blood?... I'm getting off track, and nearly miss Shizune's reply. [Tea.] It doesn't help much. I glare at them.

[Then would you like you order for me? Ladies first.] As usual the emotion behind it completely misses Misha. She hums slightly, seemingly waiting for something. [Well played Hisao, but we already ordered.] Wha-? [How?] [We're regulars, we don't need to order anymore. They know us too well.] The girls giggle slightly. [I guess you've had enough, we're sitting on the menus.] I look under the table, and sure enough, they were sitting on several menus. [Can I have one then?]

[You sure can, but you would never do something so lascivious, right?] I smirk, and say [Watch me.] I reach under Shizune, who blushes brightly, and pull out a menu. [Thank you, Lady Shizune.] I say while smiling victoriously. She glares at me while blushing brightly. I look over the menu and sigh. [What a waste of effort. I'll just take some coffee.]

The thought of coffee excites me, especially since their coffee was so good last time. Shizune pouts. [You're going to order coffee at a high class establishment? Especially after that little stunt you pulled?] I smirk. [Of course not. I'll take whatever you're having in that case.] The girls smirk at that, with Shizune saying [I'm having a rare tea that is only grown in remote areas of India. The tea is made by a tribe of tea-makers that have passed down the methods for generations. They must wade through alligator-infested waters for the leaves each year. Some don't make it back alive.]… Damn, they're good. [I'll stick to the coffee in that case. If this is a high-class establishment, then they must have high-class coffee. No-one died for it… Right?] Shizune shrugs, and Misha giggles at my insecurity. Yuuko comes over and Misha gives her our orders.

Yuuko came with our orders and small cakes. I take the cake and absentmindedly eat it in one bite. That was incredibly unfulfilling. [Are you ready for the festival tomorrow?] I shrug and drink a bunch of the coffee, and despite of my precautions, a little bit slips down my larynx. I sputter and bring up a napkin and hack up the liquid. We were all a little dumb-founded at what happened. [Well shit, that was close.] Shizune glares at me once again at nearly killing myself. I sigh, my plastic vocal folds rattling slightly. That makes Misha giggle slightly. After a little while, conversation strikes up again. Our conversation starts to get heated. [Well then, if I win, you have to go to class with no pants.] I think this over. [Fine, but if I win, you need to give me 77000 yen.] Shizune seems to blanch at the price, becoming uncharacteristically pale. I smirk at the reaction, [Not too sure anymore, huh?] she becomes heated once more. [Fine, we'll ask her right now.] She says. I tap Misha, asking her to bring over Yuuko and ask her the question.

When Yuuko comes over, Misha says "Yuuko, Which one do you prefer to be in bed? The lowly maid, following her masters every will? Or the dominatrix, commanding everyone with her whip?" Yuuko blushes bright red and faints. I pump my hands in the air. [Hah! You owe me now!] Shizune scowls, pulling out her wallet. Before she hands it over, she signs [I will get you back for this.] I look dumbfounded at the money in front of me. [You keep this kind of money on you?] She nods. I get out of my trance and say, [is there a bank nearby?] Shizune smirks, saying [Playing it smart eh? We'll show you before the day ends.] I nod and put the yen notes into my wallet. My wallet has never been this fat. I go back to drinking my coffee. Misha starts talking again, and I notice Shizune glaring at me playfully. She gestures to the drink in front of her. I get the meaning and start down my coffee, regardless if it kills me. Misha continues ranting, and Shizune finishes at the same time. [I'm done with my coffee, and I will be leaving, calmly.] Shizune nods and says [As am I, I think I will do the same.] Misha splutters a bit, before noticing a chime at the door. Lilly and Hanako just walked in. Misha gestures at them, saying "Lily, Hanako~! Over here~!" she looks happy that she won't be alone. Sorry about that.

Shizune and I walk out the door, and Shizune leads me towards what I assume is the bank. When we enter a building, I smell the papers and just-cleaned linoleum floor smell. We do our business in about an hour, opening a new savings account. [Why do you need a saving account?] I shrug, and reply with [The interest will build up money over the rest of the year, and when school's over, I will have a sizable amount of money to do whatever I need with] She nods and says [is that why you asked for such a large sum?] I nod. After walking through the town for a while, I notice Shizune's hand intertwine with mine. I squeeze it absentmindedly. I look over at Shizune, who has a small smile on her face.

Today has been a pretty good day.

* * *

><p>We eventually reach the school again, and regrettably, let go of each other's hand. We enter the student council room, and I notice a huge stack of papers and signs and backing posts. [So what do you need me to do?] [We need to build the signs and post them around the school.] I nod and after Shizune shows how she wants them done, I get to work.<p>

* * *

><p>2 hours later, I reach for the box of tacks, only to find it empty. Shizune grabs it and throws it away. [So you ran out too? I decided I would wait till you ran out as well before grabbing another box.] I stare at her before asking [How long ago did ago did you run out?] she smiles and says [around 30 minutes ago.] I glare at her, before she gives a curt wave and a cheery smile and walks out. I look around the room and notice we were really close to getting done. I walk out the door to head to the vending machine, before noticing Misha, Lilly and Hanako. Surprisingly, Hanako and Misha were holding hands. Good for them. I don't say anything about it, only nod towards Misha. "Oh, hello Hisao~!" they continue to walk. They're probably heading towards where Hanako and Lilly usually hangout. I get two drinks from the vending machine and head back to the room, where I see Shizune, looking angry. I tap her shoulder and give her an amused smile. She spins quickly, and upon noticing me, the anger quickly disappears. [Thought I abandoned you?] She glares at me. [Yes, actually.] I shrug, and hand her one of the drinks. Using the drinks as a break, I say, [so I saw Misha with Lilly and Hanako.] Shizune lifts an eyebrow. [They have been getting rather close recently.] I smile and say [Yes, they have been. Misha was holding Hanako's hand. I didn't really expect her to follow my advice.] I say the last one with a thoughtful look. Shizune smiles. [Oh really? Well good for them. I was hoping that Misha would move on from me soon.]<p>

* * *

><p>After that short dialogue, we quickly got back to work. It was soon night time. Shizune finishes her final sign and yawns mutely. [Well, that's all for today I suppose.] I nod and say [that took longer than I expected.] Shizune gains a slightly shocked and annoyed face. [You as well? I didn't think it would either.] Shizune stomach grumbles, and I send out a muted laugh, which to a regular person would have sounded like wheezing. [Hisao, do you know of a way we can… obtain food?] looking rather annoyed at my laughter. I calm down, and say [We could order takeout.] she nods and goes towards her desk, opening a drawer and digging through it, leaving a perfect shot of her… never mind. She quickly pulls out a menu and hands it to me, not noticing my blush. I finally realize a problem. [Neither of us can speak.] She looks at me for a while before we simultaneously slap our face. She grabs my hand before leading me out of the student council. She turns off the light as we head out and locks the door. She leads me to the girl's dorms.<p>

After casually slamming the door behind us, girls poked their heads out of the common room. I smile and wave, while Shizune ignores them. They looked dumbfounded that the new guy was being dragged to (supposedly) the student council president's room. We climb into an elevator and Shizune presses the button '4'. After waiting a while, the doors open, and even more girls are staring at us in wonder, before stopping at a door. Shizune knocks harshly, and hastily. The door opens, revealing a hardly dressed Misha. I stop myself from looking and blushing, before handing her the menu. She looks down at it sleepily, before grabbing a cellphone. She types in the numbers and orders the food, telling them to send it to my dorm, before handing the menu back and closing the door.

I look at Shizune who was already heading to the stairs. I quickly follow her, and before I know it, we're in my room. [So, why did Misha act like that?] Shizune looks at me, before saying [She gets really tired after the sun goes down. I don't know why, either.] I smile a bit. [Maybe she burns it all working for you.] Shizune glares playfully, before hugging me slightly. I stagger at the sudden weight, but manage to keep myself upright. I slowly guide us to the bed, where I sit down, with Shizune following. She lays her head on my shoulder and stays there, her arms still wrapped around my stomach. I put an arm around her waist and we stay like that until I hear a knock on the door.

I get up slowly, giving Shizune time to let go, and answer the door. The delivery boy asked for the amount of cash, which I had just enough of, and he handed me our food. I close the door after nodding at him. I hand Shizune her food, and we eat silently. Shizune finishes first, if the return of her arms says anything. I take our trash and throw it away, without disturbing Shizune. When I look down at her, she had her eyes closed and breathing lightly. She was asleep. I pick her up and lay her across the bed, and when I went to get up, she grabs me tightly and pulls me close to her. She hugs me tightly, not willing to let go. I give up and let sleep consume me.


	8. Chapter 8

I wake up at 5:30. I notice weight pressing against my chest. I look down at it and see Shizune's head laying on my chest, and her arms wrapped around my waist. I pry her arms off of my body, and lay her head onto a pillow. I go and take a shower, bringing a school uniform with me. When I get back, it's 6:48, and Shizune stirs without the warmth of my body. Thankfully, I had thought to buy water from one of the vending machines. Deciding to pull a small prank, I wait for her to wake up. When she fully wakes up and looks at me, she blushes. [Hey, I got you some water.] I handed her the quarter empty bottle, which she downed nearly instantly. I smile perversely saying [I knew you would want some after last night. It was quite the night.] She blushes heavily and her eyes widen. Water bottle? Ten yen. Going to this school? Several hundred thousand yen. Her face? Priceless. I burst out laughing, and she glares at me angrily, not believing she fell for such a simple prank. She uses the water bottle and bonked me on the head.

She was still able to make an empty bottle hurt. After all that was done with, it was 7:50. I grabbed her and picked her up into bridal style. She blushes a little bit, but cuddles into my chest as I carry her to the girls dorm. Even at this early in the morning there were still girls in the common room, looking at us. If they were shocked last night, then they are really shocked this morning. I look at Shizune, who signed the dorm number [4-15]. I carry her up the stairs, and towards her room, shocking nearly every girl who saw them. I enter her room, which was neatly organized. Her bed was in the corner, and had a small collection of trinkets. I set her off at the base of her bed. She got up quickly and grabs a set of clothing and heads off towards the showers. After a while of looking around her room, inspecting the many trinkets. When she enters again, she's wearing her usual outfit. She says [Come on, let's get Misha.] I nod and check the time. 9:03. I follow her and she knocks on the door. Misha opens the door, and says "Hold on, I need to get my shower." We nod and once again we do the waiting game. When she comes back, it's 9:56. Why am I so interested in the time?

We head out, just walking for a while, before the sun looks like it's going to head behind the trees. I look at to the side and see a fortuneteller slinging horoscopes at people, making me chuckle. It's a bit aggressive, but it seems to be working for them, somehow. I felt a tap on my shoulder and see Shizune. [We should eat something. Hungry Hisao?] I shrug and say [Ehh, sure. Anything not fried?] [Candy. Junk food is essential in a celebration. Come on. I will treat you to one thing.] I shrug, and look around at the somehow not complete festival, or that's what the girls said earlier. [I guess the Takoyaki] Misha yells "Yay! I knew that's what you would say." Misha drags us to the takoyaki stall. After getting a plate, I look at the hot food, then to the girls looking at me expectantly, then back at the food before taking one of the sticks, spearing the fried squid, and chewing it. The girls quickly dig in as well, Shizune taking quick but delicate bites, and Misha eating it with child-like relish. This is quite nice. Even back in my old school, where I had a few friends, I never really hung out with them often. After going to the hospital, I hadn't expected to gain quite such a strong bond with a person again, much less two. While I'm in my deep thought process, Shizune tries a quick jab at one of the takoyaki, and I quickly stab her thumb lightly, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough for her to draw back. I then stab a squid and bite into it.

I look at Shizune and smirk lightly, making her glare at me. I notice that the paper lanterns are being lit, and finding it quite beautiful against the setting sun's glow. Shizune steps in front of me with a small smile as I finish eating. She grabs my hand as I throw away the paper plate, leading me to a game stall. Misha quickly grabs my other hand and leads with Shizune. They lead me to a countless number of games, most of which I lose, but the ones I do win, I hand the trinkets to either Misha or Shizune, so far with Misha gaining more. I don't know why, but I feel like she would enjoy those things more. [Do they have that goldfish scooping game here?] [Why? What would you do with it?] I look at her with a straight face. [Well, first, I chop off its head, the gut it as cleanly as I could. Then I would marinate it heavily until it soaks up most of it. Then I would put the skillet on high and proceed to fry it. Then try to make it look as appetizing as possible.] Thankfully Misha wasn't looking at us, or she would probably be devastated. Or laugh like Shizune is giggling right now.

I smile at her as Misha brings us to the only game we've played that has stuffed animal prize, surprisingly. I remember this stall, and the girls realize this as I start glaring at it. They giggle as they buy some balls for me to use. I look at the objective and realize that it's that game where you try to knock down the pyramid of bottles. "So could you give some balls for free to the cute Student Council members that made this happen?" Hahahaha, Hahaha, No." Damn, he DOES have balls. "[I remember this stall. It was a pain in the ass, wasted at least two hours of my life on this thing. I deserve at least a free round] and Me. [Me too.]" Shiraki shrugs and gives us each four balls. The girls hand me the balls. I look at the balls and throw a ball really hard at the pyramid. It hits and makes it budge. I glance at Shiraki, who says "There is water in the bottles. Trade secret." I shrug and throw more balls at it. I see them looking at a stuffed animal shaped like a cat. They aren't really all that different. I throw one more ball, leaving me at eight, and the bottles tumble-down. I triumphantly claim the girlish prize. Misha laughs uproariously as if she won it, and Shizune stares at it, making it quite clear she wants it too. I look at the doll, and hand it to Shizune, motioning to Shiraki to set it up again. Shizune looks at the doll, seemingly surprised. I take the rest of the balls and try again. After eight shots, I managed to take a single bottle out. Shit. I look at Misha and send her an apologetic smile. She pouts a little bit, but brightens up considerately. "Oh well, I still having everything else you won for us." Shizune is still looking at the doll, before Misha tugs at her sleeve. I see them conversing slightly, but I'm not paying any attention. Someone else was trying the game, and a ball ricocheted, straight into my chest. I try desperately to calm down my heart, and when I do, the girls were looking at me strangely. I shake my head and motion for them to continue.

We decided to take a break, and before long, it's night-time. I look over at Shizune, who was cradling the cat close. I feel a pang of guilt, but quickly shake it off. The girls drag me off to a food vendor, which was a sandwich stall. They look at me. [Um, just order for me.] They nod at me and I say [It's getting kinda of crowded.] Misha says "we could eat on the roof." I nod slightly and Misha goes off to get the food and drinks. I look around once again. The paper lanterns and fireflies is really an amazing sight in the night sky. Shizune looks up as well, and absent-mindedly grabs my hand. We stare up and admire for a little while, before Misha comes back. She has a small smile on her face, looking at the grasped hands, and then at me. I rub the back of my head, before pulling Shizune's hand, making her notice Misha. She looks slightly uncomfortable, but eventually relaxes. We head up to the roof. We hunker down and start eating. We joke around for a while, before Misha passes out, and we don't disrupt her. We instead finish up eating and we look up towards the stars, ignoring the sounds below us. We grasp hands once more, just enjoying the sight. I glance at Shizune, who is still grasping the stuffed cat. She notices me look at it, and offers it to me. I shake my head, smiling slightly. We both return to looking at the stars. Shizune tugs on my hand. I ignore it, continuing to just gaze at the stars. She pulls me up, motioning to the sky behind her. I focus down onto the city, and her. She leans against a nearby railing saying [Just wait.] after a while, I hear a faint whistling sound. It erupts in a flash of light and a large bang. The fireworks continued and we leaned closer together. I look at Shizune, who also looked at me. I kept looking into her eyes, which reflected the fireworks. We slowly leaned in and we felt our lips brush. The kiss starts getting deeper and deeper, until we stop for a breath. She rests her head on my chest, looking towards the display, while I lay mine atop of her head, watching as well. They continue on for 15 minutes before a large grand finale of several, and then silence returns. We sit back down, continuing to hold onto each other tightly.

A perfect end to a perfect night.


	9. Chapter 9

I kind of want to just get to the Tanabata festival, so I will be skipping the "Advanced Game Theory" scene. At least until Hanako shows up. Also, I'm leaving for a wedding, so i'll be updating this with every chapter i have so far, instead of drawing it out like i usually do.

* * *

><p>I awaken at 4:30 and do my usual morning routines. All through them I can't help but remember last night. The light kiss, the warmth of her body, the distant booms of the fireworks, and finally, the moonlight and fireworks giving her just the right glow, lighting up her face, and her eyes. I shake my head as I finish my exercises. I quickly head towards the showers, hoping the cool water will calm my mind.<p>

* * *

><p>I quickly get dressed and head towards the school, only to stop under a tree. I sit down, and slowly go over the notes I had written down. I look up and notice that most of the stalls we visited were ones that we built. That's cute. I hear soft footsteps and look to see Shizune, [Good morning.] she signs to me. I nod, since my hands are full.<p>

She sits next to me, leaning her head against my shoulder. [The school committee are a bunch of dicks.] I sign after putting down my notes. Shizune sighs, and nods. [I know what you mean.] We sit there, and once again, find myself wondering back to last night. [Most people are asleep right now, you're abnormal, Hisao.] I raise an eyebrow, [Well, you're here too, so we are both abnormal. Together.] She sighs happily, [Yes. Yes we are.]

She picks up my hand and starts playing with it, me absentmindedly playing along. After a while, she asks [Have you ever had a girlfriend before?] I look at her, wondering what brought this on. I shake my head. [Never. You're my first one.] [Then how are you so good at this?] I raise an eyebrow. [Good at what?] She looks me in the eye. [At making me happy. Giving me everything I ever wanted, yet making me work for it at the same time. I love how you can do that, no matter how much it pisses me off.] I shrug. [How are you so good at pulling me in? how at you're every word, you make me want you more? It's just natural. It's a charm that not everyone sees. It's what makes us attracted to each other. Those specific charms we have, that makes us want to spend all of our time together, even when we are working. If there is work, we don't care, as long as the other is there, making us happy.] She smiles a bit before nodding. [Wow, who knew you were a philosopher.] She grabs my hand and pulls me up. [Come on, we need to get to class.]

* * *

><p>Saturday morning. This time I spend more time in my dorm than usual. I head into town for breakfast, because I'm bored. I try something different, and start jogging. Eventually, I want to be able to do all forms of exercise without breathing hard. I get about three quarters of the way their before I even think about it. By the time I reach the town, I'm only slightly panting. I look around the town a bit, before settling on the Shanghai, although I really want something more than a cake. I feel a tap on my shoulder and see Shizune. [Good morning.] [Good morning.] We walk into the tea house together and see Yuuko. "Hello, and thank you for patronizing our shop!" she bows with the force of a falling axe. We look at her awkwardly before she guides us to a table. I take a napkin and pen nearby to write our orders down. Yuuko goes off to get us our drinks and comes back not even 5 minutes later.<p>

Ah, coffee, how I love you so.

Me and Shizune converse about random topics, only stopping to take sips of our drinks. After we finish our drinks, we decide to walk around town for a while. I once again find myself staring at Shizune. Her eyes are flickering around the road, looking at the various shops. I look forward again and grasp her hand. Her eyes flicker towards me, before smiling slightly. We continue to walk, just enjoying the day's warmth and comfort.

* * *

><p>"Ahh, Hanacchan! Come in!" At this Hanako seems to blush heavily. "A-ah, hello, M-Misha." "You wanted an ID card, right?" "Uhm, Y-Yes." "Okay!" Misha grabs her hand and drags her to the corner of the room, where the computer I somehow never noticed was. I turn to Shizune, saying [well they have certainly gotten close.] She smirks and says [Indeed they have.] She scooches closer to me, signing [I'm happy for them. She's finally moved on from me.] I smile, saying [And she seems a lot happier too.] we sit there watching the interactions between the two. Hanako was watching s the whole time, before asking Misha "Uhm, w-what are they saying?" Misha looks at us, seeing our knowing smirks, and starts blushing. Wow, I've never seen that before. She takes a pen and throws it at me, which nailed me in the face. I put my hand where it hit before laughing.<p>

* * *

><p>[Thanks for helping out] Shizune signs after dropping a stack of attendance sheets near me. [Tanabata is at the end of the week, but we can only start building stalls tomorrow.] She says, an annoyed look crossing her face. [Why? Why not just keep the together, why spend days taking the apart?] Shizune just shrugs. [It's a storage issue, the school doesn't want to spend money storing the stalls outside, and there is nowhere inside school grounds. It's inefficient, but cheaper. It's because of the Student Council before us. The leadership decided that the amount we have to pay was going up too much, and the student council before us was too weak-willed to tell them it's stupid to build and disassemble 60 stalls twice every year.] She sighs and says [Come on, let's get something to eat. It feels like we've been working all day.] I smile and say [That's because we have been. I'm hungry as well, I would've gotten some lunch, but it was really crowded for some reason.] "Ahahaha~! It's like that because they had something interesting for sale on the side." I shrug and lay my head on the cool table. I hear rustling and look up to see a wide assortment of foods, mainly from the cafeteria. I know for a fact that there is a limit on how much you can buy daily, so this was definitely ill-gotten. [… Who did you bribe? Was it the lunch lady? Random students? The supplier?] The girls looked shocked at my reaction, before Misha starts laughing and Shizune looks slightly upset. I shrug and say [Oh well, the veal bread is always sold out, I'm surprised you got one. Thank you.] Shizune gains a playful look and grabs for it as well. When both of our hands touch, she use the slight hesitation to her advantage. I don't give a minute, I am and willing to give my life for this bread. I look down. I look back at her and see her stick her tongue out slightly, her cute playful glare still planted on her face. I look at Misha, and try something that I probably shouldn't.<p>

"M-Misha, Tell her to let go." I whisper out hoarsely, a rattling sound accompanying it. They both look at me in shock, and using the shock to pull the bread out from Shizune's grasp. I set it down, waiting for the inevitable question. "H-Hisao, you just talked." I nod and say [Yep. I can't use my actual voice. I still remember how to talk, so I can say basic stuff, but I can only whisper, using the wind. I won't use it often. Just that sentence hurt a lot.] At that Shizune gained a hard glare, saying quickly, [If it hurts you, then don't use it. Ever.] I nod and say [Wasn't planning on it. Now are we going to eat it or what?]

* * *

><p>After finishing up the last bit of work, I flay myself tiredly against my chair. God who knew student council work was so tiresome.<p>

* * *

><p>Admittedly, this chapter was some what rushed.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

[So what is Tanabata about, really?] "Well, the last festival was about your home and its history. Tanabata is about wishes and lovers!" I nod and stroke my chin. [So would you like to spend some time with Hanako then?] I sign with the best innocent face I can manage. Shizune giggles, and Misha blushes. My eyes light up. [Shizune, remember that night when Misha came to the Student council room, drunk? I wonder what happened that night as well.] Shizune gains a thoughtful look. [Well, the day that happened it was Hanako's birthday, so I assume it was something 'Special'.] She says, giggling at the end. Misha is absolutely red in the face, trying to hide behind her drills. I take pity on her and lay a hand on her shoulder. [Come on, we're just teasing you. We mean no harm.] Shizune does the same, saying [Yeah, we're happy for you, really.] Misha just sighs and smiles a bright smile. "Thanks guys. I wouldn't mind spending the festival with her, if you don't mind." I shake my head. [Go ahead.] Shizune nods her head in approval. [Go for It. but can you swing by us as well, I need to speak to Lilly.] Misha nods her head. "Of course. I'll try not to come when you two are making out, as well." She leaves after saying that, laughing loudly, and leaving us blushing.

* * *

><p>After school, I meet Shizune behind the school. We don't even say anything, and just get right to work. I realize I should be grateful that I did the exercises like the nurse suggested. Otherwise I would have been taking nearly constant breaks. I stop for a second to take of my shirt, making sure Shizune isn't looking at me. I throw the shirt at a bench, and continue working. After a while, I stop, tapping Shizune's shoulder. [Maybe we could stop for a break.] I look at her forehead and see that sweat is pouring down, and that she's breathing heavily. I'm only slightly sweating, and panting lightly. She shrugs and goes to the bench that my shirt's at and sits, with me following shortly. She reaches into her bag and throws me a can of soda. I catch it with both hands, stumbling slightly. We both drink it as fast as we can, once again with me lagging behind. As soon as we finish, we get back to work. Eventually, it starts to get dark out, so when Misha show up, Shizune decides it's time to stop.<p>

The next day went just as smoothly, and before long I'm banging a hammer against wood again. [You know, there doesn't seem to be that much work.] [That's because there isn't. I usually just take the stalls and hide them in plain sight. Trade secret. Don't tell.] I raise an eyebrow. [You're not a magician.] Shizune ignores the comment and pulls out two containers and says [I made lunch for us today. Here's yours, the food shifted in my bag and now some of it's mixed together.] She hands me the container and I open it. It looks delicious. I immediately try what looks like grilled beef. [This is really good. Do you not like it when your food is touching?] She shakes her head [I do not. Sometimes ill mix it together on my own, but I will not when it's done for me. What's important is the choice.] I look at the meal and see that all of it is fried. Even the vegetables are fried. How does she manage to stay so thin if this is what she eats all the time? After eating a little, we hear tapping coming from the path. Lilly. She just walks on by, and I look at Shizune as she does. I see a multitude of emotions flash through her eyes, but one keeps reoccurring. Guilt. I put my hand on her shoulder and she looks at me. We sit there, and eventually decide to get back to work, putting away the food.

[Why do you and Lilly not get along?] She looks like she wants to make a crack, but just says [She was a part of the last student council. We didn't get along very well, because she wanted to do things the old student council way, which was stupid and ineffective. I wanted to do more, and we had a fight. A lot of fights. She couldn't do anything on time! Then she said that all I wanted to do was meaningless extra busy work. Does this look meaningless to you?] She gestures to the stalls around us. [What's meaningless is a Student Council that doesn't do anything. Weak, lazy, and boring. Especially boring! I couldn't get excited about sitting in the room doing nothing. Why would I even be there? It didn't get my blood flowing. Arguing with her does that! If she could have been that motivated before, she wouldn't have to put that much energy into being my enemy. But if she shows that much spirit, then it's not a complete loss. At least it's something! It's still exciting.] I nod, [I see. I also heard something about badge policies?] She laughs, covering it slightly. [That was just a joke. Having a little fun sometimes is important too.]

* * *

><p>Friends are nice to have. I come to realize this when I'm talking to Misha and Shizune.<p>

We find ourselves in the Shanghai once again, to celebrate the fact that Misha is out of make-up work. [It's not healthy to inhale your food.] "Wahahaha~! Hisao, you sound like an old man~!"… It's nice to have her back, even if it's only been a couple of days. [Are you going to wear a yukata tomorrow Hisao?] I shake my head. [I don't have one. I don't do yukatas anyways. What about you two? Are you going to dress up?] [Of course.] I nod my head. [Well, I can't wait to see two beautiful ladies dressed up in their yukatas] the girls blush at this and go back to drinking their tea. I still got it? No, I didn't have it before, but I… the girls pick up on my deep thinking process and Shizune taps me on the shoulder. [Let's promise something.] That got both mine and Misha's attention. [No matter what happens, we will always be friends.] I don't understand why she would ask this now of all times, but I shrug and nod. She sticks her pinky out, and we wrap ours around it without a second thought.

* * *

><p>Even though it's a holiday, I wake up at five. Doing my morning regiment, I get back and shower around 7:38. Deciding to take a small walk in my uniform. After walking a while, I buy my favorite canned coffee, and head up to the roof to hang out for a bit. I see Misha leaning against the railing. I have to, I'm sorry. I sneak up on her, and wrap my hands around her eyes, tapping her twice. "Hicchan!" I let go and chuckle quietly. "Good morning, Hicchan~!" I nod and we chat for a bit. [Are you excited for tonight?] "Of course Hicchan~! I don't like celebrations much, or at least not as much as Shicchan, but Tanabata stands always have something interesting to them. And~! I get to wear a yukata~!" I nod and say [I'm sure you will look nice. I'm sure Hanako will think you're beautiful as well.] Misha blushes slightly, before saying back, "I'm sure Shizune will look nice for you as well." I don't think she said that right, but she continues with "so are you as well?" I shrug, saying [I am, or I would just stay home. That's the logical step, isn't it?] It continues on like this for a while, before Misha says "Take care of Shizune, ok?" and leaving for breakfast. I open my nearly forgotten canned coffee, enjoying the fresh air.<p>

* * *

><p>I'm in my room once more, getting ready for the festival. I look at what I'm going to be wearing to Tanabata. A white button up shirt, a black blazer, and black slacks, and black tennis shoes. It was sent to me by my mother after the first festival. She always had a taste for American clothing. She passed it onto me as well, it seems, because I remember a particularly odd conversation about suits we had. I head to the front gate, where I saw Misha and Shizune waiting in their brightly colored yukata. [Hello, Hisao.] "Hi, Hicchan~!" [Hello girls. You two look stunning as always.] Shizune blushes, while Misha laughs. I look them over, Shizune wearing something simple, but tasteful, and Misha's fits her well, along with her bubblegum pink hair. "You look good as well, Hisao~! I didn't expect you would dress up for this." I shrug and say [My mom sent it to me after the first festival. I decided that since I have it, I might as well.] I gained a thoughtful expression. [Maybe I should try to grow stubble, as well. I think it will fit.] The girls laugh at this. I set my face to be indignant. [I was being serious.] This just makes them laugh as well. We quickly reach the festival, and Misha parts ways to meet with Lilly and Hanako.<p>

Shizune grabs me by the hand and coils her arm with mine. She drags me to the festival, doing the occasional game. Time passes by, and we eventually see Misha, as well as Lilly and Hanako. I look at Shizune, saying [If you wanted to speak to Lilly, now is the time.] Shizune sighs, and starts walking towards them, dragging me with her. Misha says "Hello Shicchan, Hicchan~! You wanted to ask Lilly something right?" at this Lilly tenses slightly. Shizune nods and let's go of me and grabs Lilly, taking her off to the side. I look over at them and notice they are tapping a piece of the others body. Morse code. I watch the scene as their eyes soften, and eventually they hug, tears just barely being held back. I smile slightly, and when they come back, Lilly goes off with Misha and Hanako, and Shizune walks back to me, her tears still sitting in her eyes. I take my hands and wipe them away, before letting her hand grasp mine. We continue walking through the festival, before eventually reaching the school grounds again. Shizune seems to be disappointed that the grounds are filled with students, so I ask [Something wrong?] [I wanted to go up to the roof, but there are too many people. I'm tired, so it might be for the best.] I shake my head. [Come on, I want to spend some time with you, just the two of us. What happened to all that energy that was there a minute ago?] She seems willing, and forces her energy to flow through her as I take her through the gardens. Thankfully, it was empty. There was an oak tree in the middle of the field. I say [Have you ever climbed trees before?] She nods, wondering where I was taking this. [Race you to the top.] I say quickly, and her competitive spirit kicks in again, we both try to get to a branch, but we end up sitting on the same one. We tied, like so many competitions between us before.

After settling down, Shizune says [My favorite thing about this school is that it's on a mountain.] [Is it because it's just that much closer to the sky?] [Yes.] [I like it too, but I've always liked green areas.] She nods, and leans against my shoulder. I lay my head on top of her head. I put my arm around her waist, and she leans even closer. The simple embrace warms my heart. Just being here with her, makes me the happiest I can ever be. I start thinking, and wonder that maybe, just maybe, that heart attack was the best thing that could have happened to me. For that, I thank you, Iwanako.

Because I was right.


	11. Chapter 11

Work sucks. The endless amount of homework, classwork just seems to swamp me from every direction, and I have less time to spend with the girls. I can't talk to Shizune as often anymore, because she is just as swamped with work, and Misha has more make up work to do. Gosh, I need a break.

* * *

><p>[Can you help me look over these hand-outs?] [Sure. Actually, I just wanted to talk. So no. break is almost here, so we can talk for a bit right? And I want to spend more time over the summer as well, if that's fine with you.] She flusters a bit. [You mean like a date.] I smile softly. [If you want it to be.] She smiles, before adding [Ok, but not today. I'm going away for a week to visit my family.] My nose twitches. Does Shizune act even slightly obedient at her house? If there is even a chance, then I must see it. Even if she completely ignores her parents, I still have to see. [Only a week? Must not be that far of a trip.] I say casually as possible. [Of course, they still live in japan after all.] [Oh really?] She smiles. [Did you want to come with me?] My nose twitches again. [Yes, absolutely.] [I don't know. It isn't like you would enjoy it that much.] Maybe not, but even just a couple of minutes with her would make the trip well damn worth it. [You don't know that. I can entertain myself while you and Misha go do your thing.] Shizune raises an eyebrow. [How did you know Misha was coming?] I smirk [I didn't. Besides, she goes everywhere with you. Anyways, if she's going then I am too.] Shizune seems to be trying hard to give me a reason not to come. [Fine. I actually hoped you would come too. You can't skip out on student council to pack.] I shrug. [I don't have anything to pack except the clothing my mom gives me. And even that is not much.] Shizune gains a thoughtful look and tents her fingers. [You must've come to this school at short notice.] I nod. [A few months after my heart attack. And in those few months, I was in the hospital.] She nods, once again looking slightly off, before nodding and smiling [My home is in a particularly beautiful part of Saitama. We leave early next morning, so be prepared. We can talk more on this later, but for now, we have work to do.<p>

* * *

><p>I find myself looking at myself in a mirror. I'm dressed in the same clothing I wore during Tanabata, with sunglasses in my hand, I contemplate putting them on, and go ahead and do so. I look like a total douche. I take off the sunglasses and leave them on my desk, before hearing a knock on the door. I pick up my duffle bag full of everything I need. Clothing, toiletries, and medication, and open the door. Shizune is wearing a white top that has black traces, and a red belt, and a black skirt. Very mature, and classy. Misha's is more of what I expected, a salmon shirt with print reading 'Bush Cheney, 2004' and a short, dark purplish skirt. [You're bringing so little.] I look at her and say in a deadpan, [This is everything I have.] they seemed embarrassed at the huge amounts of briefcases, while Misha only has one, it's nearly bigger than her. [That sucks. You should pack light next time like me. Everything inside this bag.] "Like James Bond~!" [Exactly like James Bond.] Shizune tugs at her glasses in concentration. I look at her and say [How about we make a deal? If I carry two of your bags and not complain once, we have a date at least once before we leave.] She gains a playful glare. [And if you lose?] I shrug. [That's for you to decide.] She nods, gaining a thoughtful look. [You have to pay me back my 77000 yen.] Damn, that would have thrown a wrench in my plan. I take a medium sized brief case and Shizune hands me her large one, determined to win this one.<p>

Once we reach the train station, I gain a victorious smirk, even as my muscles burn. Shizune says nothing, just boarding the train and sitting down and falling asleep. I put away the luggage, including Misha's and sit down next to her. Misha sits across, and falls asleep as well. Well, I'm all alone.

* * *

><p>When we reach Shizune's house, it was quite larger than I expected. [You live in a mansion?] She looks a little indignant that I suggested, and standing on her tip-toes trying to reach my eye level. [This is just a normal house. Nothing ostentatious as a mansion.] I have to disagree. [I don't know if we have an extra guest room. I'll have to check.] I get the feeling she doesn't spend much time at her house "Well, if she doesn't, then you two can go ahead and share a bed." Misha says then laughs at our red faces. Shizune heads in and Misha follows, leaving me with the luggage.<p>

I wait for what seems like a couple minutes, and see a small, girl? She looks out of place, in a yellow and white shirt and red shorts, and stars and moon stockings. I wave at her in greeting. She nods and says "Hi. My name is Hideaki." That's a boy's name. Woops. I nod and start to head inside with him. "Are you the second person that Shizune brought with her?" I nod. "Are you on the student council?" I nod once again. "She talks about it often. Are you close with her?" This question requires a better answer than a nod, so I bring out a pen and pad. {I would hope so, I am on the student council.} He reads through it and nods. The rest of the conversation is interrupted by Misha's laughter.

I look around us and notice we're inside. I head into the living room after setting down Shizune's and my luggage by her feet. I look around and see, surprisingly Lilly and a tall blonde woman with a suit on. The woman with suit looks at me with her red eyes and says with a smirk "I like how you dress. Looks classy." I write down quickly {You look quite smashing yourself.} and hand it to her with a smirk of my own. She reads it quickly and the smirk grows. "I'm liking you already." I nod at her and we return to the conversation at hand.

"I didn't expect you to be here so soon." Lilly says, with Misha quickly signing for Shizune. [I should've re-arranged my whole schedule for you] Ouch. "That would be nice, but I would not expect you to do such a thing." "Oh hi Hicchan, you're finally here~!" I nod. "Oh, Hisao. This is a surprise. Akira, this is Hisao, a schoolmate. Hisao, this is Akira, my sister." "Yo." I nod at her as she raises a hand in a brief wave. "I hope we're not holding up any plans. Since we're only going to be here for one more day. Lilly and I thought she may as well come with us." Akira explains slightly to me, and I nod. She smirks and says "I guess my position would best be described as babysitter" she ruffles Hideaki's hair, who takes his favorite face. Displeased. "That is demeaning." "Really? Maybe I'll change my title once you grow a few years, or maybe a few centimeters." I look around the room and see a number of outdoor hobbies, including fishing rods.

[Shizune, it looks like you're father has a lot of hobbies.] Misha still has automatic translation power, and translates for me. "Do you fish?" I shake my head. [I've always wanted to learn, heard it is very relaxing.] [There is a river a short drive away, my whole family knows how to fish. If you want, we can go there sometime.] Akira smiles and says "You and Hideaki can fish? That's surprising, since fishing always seemed like a hobby for old men. You know Lilly is a really good cook, if we had some fresh fish…" Shizune nods, saying with an odd amount of cheer, [She can burn the house down!] me and Misha sweat drop. Misha goes to say it but I stop her [it's not worth it.] Akira and Hideaki look at us with suspicion. "If we want fish, we could just go to the store." Lilly says, with an odd amount of authority in her voice. "[It's more fun to go fishing; we could make it like a game to see who catches the biggest one~!] That would be exciting, right? Yeah~! Hicchan, what do you think? It sounds fun doesn't it?" I nod. "Sounds like a plan. I don't know how to fish either, so now is as good a time as any, right?" Akira says, and her eyes shift to Lilly, which has an unusual amount of competitiveness to it. Akira looks at me questioningly, and I wrote down quickly {I think Shizune and her have made up from their fights. It seems Lilly is trying to match Shizune's playfulness.} I hand the note to her, and she nods after reading it. "Well, that's good." She says with a smile. Lilly looks at Akira, asking "What's good?" Akira looks away saying "Oh, nothing to worry your pretty little head about."

Hideaki, being the ultimate downer, says "I don't think we have enough fishing equipment for everyone." "[We can take turns, it'll be like a team battle~!]" "Well, is this going to be good! So is it going to be a competition for the biggest fish, or the most?" Akira asks. [The older sister understands better as always.] "Shicchan says that [Lilly wanted to go to the store, right~? It's much less work, so it's natural she would! But going fishing would be more fun, and less expensive. Akira, you have the right idea!]" Akira looks surprised at the sudden praise, but looks gracious. Lilly opens her eyes, and stares at Shizune's general direction. "Isn't the river quite far away?" Akira says "It isn't that far, and I could drive if we have to. I'm okay with it, as long as you catch something." I sign "Hicchan asks [Can your car fit this many people in it, as well as a bunch of fishing gear in it as well?] She subtly moves her fingers, counting up the amount of people. "Damn, six people, my car can only hold five. Unless Hideaki sits in my lap…" "I'm not sitting in your lap!" Akira looks slightly disappointed. "Aw." "Shicchan says her [Father's car is big enough]" "What, the Fuga? If he doesn't mind us using it, but I feel bad forsaking my car, considering I won't have it much longer." Lilly has a small smile of defeat, and Hideaki's being as super downer-y as ever.

My hope of a relaxing drive through the country side was fulfilled. Misha was sleeping with her head against the window, drooling slightly. Both Akira and I had left our blazer tops at the house. Lilly was 'looking' out of the window the whole trip. Hideaki winded up sitting on Akira's lap anyways, which he didn't look to happy about. My arm was wrapped around Shizune's waist, and she had her head laying on my shoulder. I saw Akira's subtle glances and the smirk she gave afterwards. Shizune, who seemed to genuinely enjoy the trip, snuggled closer into my chest. Best trip I could think of.

* * *

><p>As soon as we arrive, Akira and Shizune head off towards the river as fast as they could, and we had to run after them so we wouldn't get left behind. The siblings seem to be humoring the two, Lilly a little bit more excited than Hideaki, but I'm assuming that it isn't too hard. I finally catch up to Shizune, and she explains how to fish to me. "Lilly, what do you want to call our team?" "I don't think it matters" Hideaki says, "The 'I don't want to here squad'?" Lilly says with amusement. Akira pouts. "Team No-enthusiasm it is." After giving a brief tutorial to Akira, we start choosing our line-up. "Watching you three talk is making my head hurt. You know I'm only hearing a third of this conversation?" I write a note to her saying {You're getting impatient. You're feeding the beast. Trust me, I know from personal experience.} Shizune gains a playful look. After going off on her she looks at me, which I already had a note ready {She wants to play for higher stakes.} That makes Akira smirk. "Not a good move, we have beginner's luck twice over on my team. The only way to beat that is to catch a whole ocean. "[This is a fresh water body, you marine biologist~!]" Akira looks at me once again, and I only have a shrug. Akira laughs it off, "so are we gonna get started? I'm getting hungry." At this, we head down to the water, and Misha and Hideaki head off to the beach to get started with the spare rods.<p>

I sit next to Akira and Lilly, with Shizune on the other side of Akira. I glance over at Shizune, who seems to be relaxing as best as she can. After Lilly and Akira joke around a bit, and Shizune asks [Hisao, what's the score, are we winning? I hope we are, given that I entrusted you with our team's success.] I deadpan. After fiddling with the rod a bit, I manage to sign, [Shizune, No one's caught anything yet.] Shizune seems to lighten at that. [Just making sure you're paying attention.] [Of course I'm paying attention-] we soon get into one of our playful arguments. I hand Akira a note, saying {Shizune wants you to ask Misha to stop flailing her arms, and to ask why Hideaki hasn't even casted out yet.} After doing so, Misha says "Shicchan, I think he's just upset about getting the back-up rod~!" Shizune just sighs as I translate it and Akira says some motivational words. {Want to switch over now? Shizune is looking a little fidgety.} I hand the note over to Akira and she nods. She hands her rod over to Shizune who seems to be slightly surprised, but takes it none the less. I hand my rod over to Lilly, who seems frightened at first, but manages to grasp hold of the rod.

After a while, the sun starts setting, and Shizune's and Lilly's little competition comes to a close. We close the container we keep the fish in, and load everything into the car. Nobody brings up the competition, as it doesn't matter anymore. We all had fun, and that's what's important. God, I sound like my mom right now. When we are all in the car, the calming mood comes back, and Shizune seems to fall asleep, using my shoulder as a pillow.

When we come back to Shizune's house, it's pretty late, so a good time for dinner.


	12. Chapter 12

I wake up at 5:00 and realize I can't do my usual exercises. So I just sit their staring at my pills for a whole hour. After realizing I can take them, I head down stairs after getting dressed with my blazer. I love this thing now. Hideaki is finishing up his breakfast, poised halfway, unsure if he should continue or greet me. I just nod at him and sit on a couch. "Good morning" I nod, "What do you think we should have for breakfast?" I raise an eyebrow and motion towards the plate in front of him. "Oh. Everyone else already ate." I shrug, and got up to get something to eat. As I'm eating, he asks "Why do you eat like that?" I tap my throat, and we leave it at that. "Do you want to go somewhere?" I shrug and pull out my pad and pen. {No, do you?} He shakes his head, saying "No, I just thought you might want to do something. You don't want to do some sightseeing, or eat at a particular restaurant?" I shrug and write {I don't know. I've never been here before.} After a while of him talking, he asks "Are you bored?" I shake my head too eagerly, and he doesn't believe me. "You are bored. Shizune told me to entertain you, and I don't think I can do that. Do you want to go to an amusement park?" I shake my head {If I do I might have a heart attack.} he seems to be trying to decipher this as a joke, but seeing my serious face, he decides it isn't. "… Fine. What about a regular park? There is one that Shizune likes to go to. She might be there and I can unload you on her." I think about it, and nod my head. But not before glaring at him lightly.

Hideaki looks bored, and I write to him {You can go home if you want. I can remember my way back from here.} He gets a hardened look and shakes his head. He's almost as stubborn as his sister. "Would you like to play a game?" he says, pulling a deck of cards from nowhere. {Where did you get that?} He smiles and says "It's always on me. I use it in my Shizune-trap. If we compete against each other in the spirit of competition and in a sportsmanly manner, she will be drawn here to challenge the winner, like a shark." I look at him, dumb-founded. {Kid… You're a genius. But I don't want to play more games. How about I teach you some sign language. What is one of the words you want to say the most to your sister?} He seems pleased at my first remark, but he says "I always wanted to say I love her."… Damn, that's deep. I nod and write. {Then I will teach you the phrase "I love you."} He nods and watches me intently. I slowly go through the motions, with him slowly trying to repeat them. I correct him whenever he makes a mistake, and go through it again whenever he asks me too. Eventually, he got it down. [I love you.]

I smile and write {There you go. Shizune will be happy you learnt that.} He smiles at me but soon becomes horrified as Misha wraps her hands around his eyes. "Hi hi~! Guess who~!" "Misha." Damn, and he was finally loosening up, too. "Hmm, I thought for sure that Hideaki wouldn't know it was me. How did you know?" "Only you do that Misha. You, and Kidnappers" "Really? Wahaha~!" "Why do you laugh?" [Are you giving Hisao trouble? I thought you would take him somewhere more exciting than the park. And it's not even that far away from home. You are so lazy.] Before Misha says that, I interject with [Actually, he suggested a numerous amount of places to go before we decided on the park. I then taught him a few words in sign language, some he wants to say right now.] I push Hideaki forward, and he looks at me confused. I sign 'I' before distracting Misha with something. I look back at them when Misha is distracted and saw a wide eyed Shizune hugging Hideaki. She closes her eyes, and let's go of him. She smiles at him, and I do as well.

* * *

><p>I wake up early once again. Now that I have a place to exercise, I go about my usual business, and when I'm done showering, I get dressed in my usual clothing. I tug at my blazer a bit, making sure it's straight. I head downstairs, as I do so, I hear loud shouting. Must be Shizune's dad. When I reach the bottom, I see the siblings and Misha having a one-sided conversation with a bear. Wait, no, that's just Shizune's dad. I sit next to Shizune, and listen to what he's saying. But I pay more attention to the sword he's twirling around. "Hello, you must be Shizune's other friend. The guest rooms are a bit sparse, so if you need anything, just tell me." I nod and write {Thanks, You must be Shizune's father. It's nice to meet you. I'm her classmate, Hisao Nakai, and I should be fine.} He frowns when I hand him the note, but smirks and says "The pleasure is mine. I've wanted to meet you, since I heard that we would be having a second visitor. Unexpected. You hear something like that, and you obviously want to see what the person is like. Would you like my business card?" I just nod. He pulls out a card from his pocket, and hands it to me. Jigoro Hakamichi. A consultant. Huh, I thought he was a heavy weight boxer.<p>

"We're just sitting down for a slightly late lunch. You're just in time to join in. Pick a place to sit down and I'll bring you a plate. I hope you don't mind eating bear liver." He says as he walks out. I look at Shizune, and say with a straight face [Your father scares me.] she giggles slightly into her palm, and Misha laughs her exuberant laugh. When he comes back, he sets down an omelet in front of me I nod in thanks. He nods back and sits down. "Are you in the student council?" I nod a couple times, and try a bite of the omelet. It's really good. Then I feel something hard and I move it to the front against my teeth. I subtly pull out of my mouth and notice it's an eggshell.

I listen into the conversation and figure out that it's turned a bit sour. "One more thing. My fishing equipment. I came home and it was just a big pile in the corner. Rods just stacked haphazardly on top of tackle." I hate it when something like this happens. When your friends and their parents get into a fight and you're just kind of sitting there. I would usually use this as an excuse to go home. But, not this time. This time, I'm trapped. "That was me." Hideaki says, taking the blame. It doesn't work. "Well, I'm glad my fishing equipment could provide so much entertainment for my daughter's friends. Did not even tell me you were going to use them. Those are expensive custom made poles. Not for dilettantes."

He seemed nice at first, but I really should have known otherwise. No one is that big and not have an attitude problem. "Didn't even clean them after use. Terrible. Do you even know how to fish? Unlikely. There are not enough here for all of you. Did you all share? One person baits while the other casts? Incompetent." You're just driving the point home buddy. He goes off ranting, and then he insults my clothes. My blazer. This guy is one of the biggest- I feel a tap on my shoulder, interrupting my thoughts. I look at Shizune, who looks at Misha and nods. Misha slams her plate down and says "Well, me and Shicchan are done. You are too, right Hicchan?" I nod, feeling slightly bad for leaving Hideaki to deal with the bear in disguise. "We should get going."

After we get outside, I stare at nothing. [Well, that was… enlightening.] Shizune just starts going on a rant before I grasp her hands. [Lets go shopping, you two will enjoy that right?] Shizune just sighs and nods. While we walk, I say to Shizune privately [So where do you want to go on our date.] she blushes slightly, before saying [There is this western style Restaurant that I've been wanting to go to…] I nod, and say [Okay. Then that's where we'll go.] She raises an eyebrow. [Are you sure? I heard it's quite expensive.] I nod. [With all the times you've 'treated' us in the student council, I haven't been spending more than I have to with my allowance. I've been able to save up,] I check my wallet. [Around 8,345 yen] she nods, still a bit unsure.

* * *

><p>Misha heads back to the house, saying that she was tired, and we nod. She took all of the bags with her, thankfully, so that Shizune and I won't be hindered. We go into the restaurant, and they ask us "How many?" I just did the universal gesture for 2. The waitress gets it and leads us to our seats. In the dim light of the restaurant, we write our orders on a napkin and place it on the edge of the table, were the waitress picks it up, copies it, and goes off. We talk about simple things, like student council, family lives, and simple stuff. After a while, the food arrives and we eat it as fast as we can, just to be able to talk once again. After paying for our bill and leaving, we were walking, joking and laughing while holding hands.<p>

* * *

><p>I wake up, and instantly remember the great night. I get dressed and head down, not bothering to get any exercises in. I see Shizune walk in with a bunch of bags. She hands me half of the bags. [Look inside.] I nod and do as I'm told. Blazers. Grey button up shirts. Black slacks. I smile wide. [Am I really that predictable?] I ask her. She just smiles and nods. [I saw you looking at them while we were shopping. So I got a bunch of them for you.] [Thanks.] [There is one more thing in there.] I raise an eyebrow. A tie and a razor. The tie was self-explanatory. But… [A razor?] She nods. [I remember you joking about growing stubble, but I must admit I'm a bit curious to see what it looks like.] I nod, and put everything back in the bag. [Thank you very much Shizune.] She nods and hugs me. I hug her back, and we stay like that for a while. At least until we here bellowing start to come into the house. She quickly separates from me, and picks up her bags. I pick up my bags and bring them into my room. Once I'm done with that, Shizune comes into my room. That's not Shizune. I look at the bright haired woman in front of me. I inspect her and see 'Bush Cheney, 2004' on the front of her shirt. [Misha?] "Hi, Hicchan~! How do you like my new haircut?" [Yep, you're Misha.] I inspect her hair and see that it's a bit tomboyish. [It looks great.] "Thanks Hicchan!" she flies out of the room, presumably to annoy the hell out of Jigoro. I hope so. I hear loud yelling down the stairs and bright laughter. Yep. That instantly puts a smile on my face.<p>

Shizune comes in and sits next to me. [I don't like Misha's new haircut. Before, it was so refined and meticulous,-[Misha and refined should not be put in the same sentence.] but now it's so sporty and tomboyish.] [Misha shouldn't be called Refined and meticulous. That suits you more. Maybe you should grow your hair out and form it into drills. Hmm, actually, this suits you just fine.] She rubs her glasses in annoyance at the implications that I just threw at her. That's fine, because I was totally implying that. [I'm a tomboy?] [Nobody would say that…. Based on appearances.] Shizune glares at me, and I struggle to keep a straight face. [Maybe you two should trade haircuts anyways.] […You sound like my father] I scowl. I keep the scowl and twirl an invisible sword. She giggles at this. [Anyways, I don't take advice from anyone who used to wear blue sweaters and brown pants. Where's your sense of color coordination? Dreadful.] How did she find those? [Now who sounds like your father?] She scowls as well, and it's my turn to laugh. She reaches for her glasses, but doesn't seem to notice how far she's managed to inch away from it all this time. To prevent herself from tipping over clumsily, Shizune tries grabbing me, and ends up pulling me on top of her.

As I lean over her, I feel the heat coming off her body and realize just how close we are. I can hear her soft breathing and the slight rustling of her clothes as she momentarily fidgets about. I look at her and see the blush that has ruptured on her face. I'm sure mine is equally large, if not bigger. She stares right into my eyes, and I stare right back, unblinking. Her eyes are clear and devoid of any emotions. Just waiting to see what will happen next. It unnerves me, but relaxes me as well. Her hands tightly weave themselves with mine, and I look into her eyes once again. Expectation. Well, I never was one to disappoint. I leaned in slightly, almost as if asking her if it's okay. She doesn't outright reject me, but her blush grows, and her breathing quickens slightly. Finally our lips meet, and a flurry of emotions come forth. Almost all of them unreadable, except for three. Bliss, happiness, and love. The want to stay like this forever is almost overwhelming, but we eventually break apart, and get back up.

I smile and grasp her hand. She smiles, but she looks like she wants to try something. She gets up and closes my door, and sits next to me. She seems to be signing at a crawl, not fast enough to make actual words, but I try my hardest to decipher it. They look a lot like Hideaki signing… Oh. _Oh._ When she stops, I follow the exact same motions, but slightly faster. [I… Love …You… Too.] Her eyes widen, and she looks me in the eyes. I hold her gaze, and she puts her fingers on my eyelids, forcing me to close my eyes. I get what she's trying to say, and keep my eyes closed.

I feel her lips press against mine once again. As she does this, she caresses my shoulders, back and arms. I can feel the weight of her body on top of my legs, and the eroticism of this situation isn't lost on me. I nearly open my eyes, but she presses her fingertips against my eyelids. Seconds later, I feel something tie my hands together. Is that rope? Where did she get that? I nearly start to panic, but I force myself to remember 'this is Shizune, she wouldn't kidnap me. For the wrong reasons at least.' She won't let go of my hands, tracing her fingers over them, from the lines of my palms, over my knuckles, and to my wrists. I open my eyes and see her face just inches from mine. A mischievous expression crosses her face as I try to move my fingers. She's blushing heavily, which increases as soon as our eyes meet. Obviously embarrassed, she leans in closer to our partial embrace, burying her neck into my shoulder and neck. Her hair is soft and it tickles me, making me smile. Her hands move to the fly of my pants, and her hands disappear, only to jerk back after touching my erection. She nearly falls off in surprise, almost as if she didn't think it would be there.

The sudden display of naivety is the almost complete opposite of how she's been acting so far. She seems to be right back to where she started, a high school girl trying to be a mature woman. She pokes my penis curiously with her index finger, her face brightening more as she strokes it with the tip of her finger. Her movements are soft, and curious, and they belie the embarrassed face she's wearing. We look into each other's eyes, and for one of the first times, I see all of her emotions splayed into her eyes. The embarrassment, the lust, the love. I try to figure out what she's going to do next. Surprisingly, her hands remove the binds restricting my hands. She pulls me off the chair, and leads me to the bed. She's trying to make it more intimate.

She takes off the blazer I had on me, hesitantly, slowly, as if unsure. I help her through the motions, and I take off her red belt. She blushes, and lets me undo her shirt. I slowly lift the shirt off of her, revealing the white, slightly lacey bra underneath. We both blush at this, and hesitate, before moving on. Shizune starts unbuttoning my shirt, and pulls it off of me, slowly and gently, before letting it drop to the floor. She is immediately drawn to the jagged scar on my chest. She traces it with her fingers, before motioning to her skirt. I nod, getting the implication and slowly unzip it, letting it fall off of her, before slowly moving it to the side. The white, slightly lacey panties match her bra, and Shizune gets to work on my pants. Only having to remove them because of our earlier interactions, we are soon left in our underwear. Shizune uses the pause to hook her finger on my boxers, pulling down on them slightly, until eventually, she reveals my slightly throbbing member. Suddenly embarrassed, we both blush and look away slightly. Then Shizune grasps my hands and leads them to her bra. I blush slightly, and start fiddling with them. Soon, embarrassment runs high again, as her well-endowed breast are revealed. I stare for a short while, before blushing and tugging on her panties, and sliding them off. After we finish this slightly embarrassing undressing, Shizune pushes me down on the bed.

She slowly climbs on top of me, and she blushes, before grabbing my penis, and lining it up with her vagina. She sucks in her breath, and stabs herself, a small whimper of pain escaping her lips. This is the first time I've heard her voice, and realize she must've broken her barrier. She slowly starts begins to rock her hips back and forth, and each time she raises herself, she increases her speed. Her hot breath trails down my neck, and I slowly change the position, so that I'm on top. I move my hips closer to her, and out, awkwardly at first, before I start going faster, but still trying to be gentle. She grabs hold of my shoulders, and as we pick up pace, she starts moving in a rhythm similar to mine, moving away as I pull out, and pulling herself in as I push in, making our movements all the more pleasurable. "..Nn..." Shizune moans out. Her voice now, sounds angelic, the pleasure our bodies are feeling making it so much better. Eventually, Shizune moves the position so that she's on top once again. She moves up and down, fast enough to show that she's abandoned gentleness. I quickly try to match it, but she's moving too fast that our movements would synchronize anyways. My heart beat is beating nearly as fast as Shizune now, so that I can feel a loud 'Thum-thump' every once in a while. I focus a bit on calming it down, before focusing on Shizune, and her occasional moan. Those moans are likely the only time I'll hear her soft, angelic voice, so I cherish them. I cherish them more than the feelings of pleasure I'm feeling. That very moment, Shizune's walls tightening around me, the sound of her voice, and the feeling of her breath, all combined, was enough to make me shoot off inside of her, and if the wetness I'm feeling around my thighs is real, Shizune climaxed as well. As soon as the feeling stops, Shizune collapses onto the bed. I feel the sweat, and breath from her warm me slightly as she embraces me. I hug her back and pull the covers over us slowly, before we both drift off into a deep slumber.


	13. Chapter 13

Every night after, that one, after I do my usual routine, and climbing into bed, Shizune enters the room with a barely audible 'Click' and climbs in with me. When she first does this, I nearly freaked out, but after smelling her lavender-scented hair, I quickly calmed down as she wraps her arms around me. I quickly embrace her in return and fell asleep.

The alarms scream at me as I look at the clock. Huh. We should probably get to the train station. No, that's tomorrow. I get up and shower, noticing that Shizune wasn't in bed. I get dressed and start to head down stairs, but hesitate. I head back to the restroom and see the fancy razor Shizune gave me. I look into a cabinet and see the shaving cream. I stare for a while, before I start.

Walking down the stairs, I see Misha sitting on the couch, seemingly dazed. Then Shizune comes in and pulls on her wrist. I smirk. Guess I know why. I head to the kitchen and pour a cup of the still warm coffee. After a few sips, I see Jigoro walk in the room with a stack of papers in one hand, and his katana twirling casually in the other. He shakes his head to rid his hair of water, and freezes after seeing me. He sits down in barely suppressed and baseless fury. I shiver unconsciously, and take another sip of my coffee and try my hardest not to look at him. Any kind of eye to eye sight will cause the bear to attack. At least that's what the wildlife shows say. Sitting in silence. Awkward. After I finish the coffee, I sift through my wallet to see if there is any cash left for a movie or something. After putting away the cup, I leave the house, feeling like the man's glare is burning through my blazer. "Wait. You are a part of the student council right? What's your position there?" I pull out my pen and pad and write, {I don't think that there is really another position other than the President. Shizune is always trying to round people up to help out, but it's either one or zero.} "And that's alright with you?" {Yes. Completely. Absolutely.} He seems a bit crossed that I answer with such assurance, and goes off on a rant. I roll my eyes and get another cup of coffee while he is distracted. When I come back, he seems to be nearing the end of his tirade, which I continue to ignore.

When he reaches the end of his rant, he sees me reading the newspaper and drinking my coffee. "Did you listen to a word I said?" I look at him, feigning surprise. {You're still here?} He doesn't take kindly to that and goes off on another rant, this time about the disrespect of the newest generation, blah blah blah. I sigh, and abandoned everything in my hands on the coffee table, and exit the house.

Shizune came home too late to catch our train, so we had to stay another day. All throughout dinner last night, Jigoro was glaring at me and muttering under his breath. Shizune raises an eyebrow to me at the words Misha was able to translate, but I just shrug. After waking up and packing quickly, I hurry down the stairs, and see Misha and Shizune waiting for me. I nod at them and we head out the door, rushing towards the train station. When we got there, we were just able to get on. The two girls were breathing slightly heavier, and I was just sweating slightly. After taking our seats, Misha sits down and passes out. Shizune leans against my shoulder and looks out the window.

By the time I reach my room, I sit and take my pills. Not even bothering to take my clothes off, I soon fall asleep.

I wake to the sounds of knocking on my door. I get up and open it, not really shocked to see Shizune, but slightly surprised to see the thing she was holding. A letter. I take it, raising an eyebrow, and motion for her to enter. She nods and signs, [Who is it from?] I look at the sender and see a familiar name. Iwanako. I should've known almost immediately, she was the only person to send these types of letters. I strike away any thoughts before opening the letter slowly, unsurely. I didn't bother answering Shizune. She looks at me worriedly, but lets me continue. I open the letter, and pull out its' contents. Written in her near perfect hand-writing, was

{Dear Hisao,

How are you? I hope you are well and happy at your new school. Everyone here misses you. Almost all of our second year class was put together for our final year, so we are pretty comfortable right from the beginning of the year. I'm sure you would've been assigned here as well. The mood among the third years is pretty anxious for our final exams, even though they are so far away. The teachers keep badgering us about them all the time, even old Mr. Tachibana who is our homeroom teacher. Can you believe it? I was sure he retired after the last year. But here he is, nagging everyone about studying for our exams.} I stare at the name Tachibana. Poor attempt at humor. My eyes seem to grow darker as I continue reading.

{I think things like that are the reason the mood is so nervous. I must admit that I'm losing self-confidence as well, even though I've always done fairly well in exams. It's so weird to think we're already seniors, isn't it? Time really has flown past. I wonder where it went. The first-years seems so young and innocent. I keep wondering if we were like that as well. I've been feeling nostalgic my whole first trimester. There are other things I wanted to say. I'm writing to you because I felt that there are some things that I should've said after the… incident during the winter. I really regret not saying them in person, and I have no excuse for it. After thinking about how you didn't let your… condition hinder you was a courageous act.} I have a bad feeling about where this is going.

{I expected you to become distant and more disheartened, but you didn't. you kept going and I really admired that. I… still admire you, for a lot of things. And I just wanted to say I still lov-} I crumple the paper. The feelings I'm feeling right now are mixtures, but one stands out the most. Resentment. How could she? I was really enjoying my new life. She just had to roll in and mess this all up. I breathe a heavy sigh, and throw away the letter, letting my hair cover my eyes. This inner dialogue is interrupted when I feel Shizune's hand on my shoulder. I look at her with the dark look still in my eyes, which lessens when I see her worry filled face. I quickly lean on her, and she grasps me into a hug. I didn't notice at first, but I'm crying lightly. Shizune continues to hold me as I let the tears I've held back since the beginning. The beginning of all of this.

The tears I spent in the hospital seem like nothing. The pain I'm feeling is un-natural. I try my hardest to push the creeping depression of my past, but I couldn't hold it back, so I leaned more onto Shizune for support. Sensing what I need, she seems to be lifting a part of the burden with her, pushing it away. I think about the reasons I love her as my depression starts to slowly encroach my mind, but also be pushed back, the endless war between the two ravaging my mind. She is a very beautiful person. She is one of the nicest people I know, and she always knows what I need, despite not knowing me more than a couple months. She will always be there, I know she will. I continue my thoughts, building them around my love for Shizune which seems to be growing more and more. I eventually stop crying, but I still rest my head on her. She sifts her hands through my hair, playing with it, comforting me, until eventually, we both fall asleep, resting in a comfortable position.

When I wake, Shizune's hair is lighted up by the moonlight once again. My thoughts roam to the festivals, where we shared our first real kiss, under the firework lighten sky. The bright moon lighting up her features as we cuddle against the bark of the tree, and finally, the warmth of that night. I get up slowly, waiting for her to awaken as well. [What was last night about?] I sigh. [Before I knew I had chronic arrhythmia, I was waiting in a clearing, because I had gotten a note, saying that the girl I had a small crush on then wanted to meet me there. When she showed up, we started talking, and then, she confessed.] Panic seemed to well up in Shizune's eyes. [I never answered.] The panic was replaced by confusion. [I had my heart attack then, and fell flat on my face, where a sharp rock cut through my throat. This girl kept visiting me in the hospital, until it reached a month. I have never seen her since. Her name, was Iwanako.] Realization lights up on her face and looks at the disregarded letter. I nod, and continued with, [That letter, was basically her way of catching up, right until the end. Then…] I lost the will to sign, instead motioning for her to read it. as she read, her face was monotone, a single emotion shown. Distaste. As she reached the mentioned part, I read the rest. {-e you. A lot. I want you to know, that I will always be waiting for you, no matter what. I will see you when you return, hopefully.

Sincerely,  
>Iwanako.}<p>

It pissed me off. She truly expected me to not move on from her, and that I would come back, all happy and smiles, ready for her with open arms. She was right about two things. I will go back, and I will be happy, but I will not be waiting for her. I will already be with the love of my life. Her name being Shizune Hakamichi. Shizune just got done reading, but her face is blank of emotions. I grasp her hands, and she returns the grasp with a small smile. She then turns towards me, pressing her lips against mine. I was shocked by the sudden action, but return it, and melt into her caresses. [I love you, Shizune.] [I love you too, Hisao.]


	14. Chapter 14

It's a bit short.

* * *

><p>The control you have on your life is like holding onto a fish; you think you have a steady grip on it, and then, out of nowhere, it slips away. The crippling depression I was holding back for all these months seem to come rushing back in. The cold fingers of despair gripping onto my heart, never wanting to let go, controlling me in my daily life with a sharp tug, or a dull throb. Uncertainty washing over my body, leaving a cold, prickling sensation all over me. I hate it. I wish I could get out. I don't sign to anyone, I just sit here, with a small scowl on my face, and see my friends worry over me, leaving a distaste behind. I don't want them to worry about me. I don't know why I let this hit me so hard.<p>

I for once wasn't seen working with the student council after school, the only time they see me after school is when I leave for my dorm. The soft whispers they speak after I leave, the worried glances, I'm sick of them.

[Hisao?] I look up when I see the signed phrase over my desk. Shizune, in her beautiful presence, looking at me with a worried-fill gaze. The now seemingly permanent scowl softens, until it becomes a straight line, devoid of any emotions. But my eyes betray me, letting the feeling of love, and deep sadness come out. [Are you okay?] The feeling of uncertainty once again flies over me, the pit of my stomach sinking. The bell rings and I let my hair cover my eyes, trying to get past her as I raise out of my seat. She grabs my hand firmly. She has a scowl on her face, and it's not the usual playful one. [What is wrong? Why are you avoiding us? You have Misha and I worried!] I don't answer, I just let her hold onto the hand, taking a slight comfort in its warmth. My eyes filled with sadness, I slowly undo her hand and leave the room.

When Iwanako wrote those three words, it wasn't that that got to me. It just brought up the past. Every day in the hospital, the sound of the staff working. Every feeling that I tucked away. Every thought that I had eventually repressed. Memories that I wanted to forget. Everything, the painful feelings I got, the bad memories, the horrible thoughts, stretching from when I first got here, to, eventually, my early childhood, came to the surface. Every horrifying moment with my drunken father, to the bullies I never told anyone about. I eventually remember past the time I was nine, which was when I was in the orphanage.

[Hisao, you will tell me what is wrong this very instant, or so help me…] Shizune left the threat there. And, I just stare at her. She explodes. [Why are you doing this? The only person who helped me tear down my walls, is now putting up walls of his own, and won't let me in! The strong man who helped me with Misha, isn't here anymore, and left a moping boy in his place! ] she takes a few breaths, and cups my cheek with her hand. [Let me in.] [I… I'll…think about it,] and I then leave.

This morning, I make several mistakes. I don't exercise, I don't shave, and I forget to shower. Oh, and I didn't take my pills. The steady beat of my heart in the middle of the day, doesn't worsen, so I continually forget to take my pills through-out the week.

Shizune doesn't stop trying to break into my metaphorical castle, and I eventually lose track of time. I continue to forget about my pills, although I do help with the student council work again. Shizune and Misha look worried at me the whole time, but ignore them as I help them with the voting thing.

About a week left of school, and I get a letter in strange hand writing, saying {Meet us at the roof.} I raise an eyebrow and shrug my shoulders. After class ends, I head up the stairs to the roof. As I'm climbing, I get a strange feeling of anxiety, and an overall bad feeling.

I open the door, letting it creak open and hear "SURPRISE!" my eyes widen in shock. I look over the crowd, and realize that it's my homeroom class, even Mutou. As my heartbeat rises, I can only think of one thing as the pounding sounds of my heart tries to break out. _It's my birthday?_ After that single thought, my heartbeat stops, as more memories flush over me. I collapse, and I smile, as everything turns black.


End file.
